Hells Bells
by Annabeth-Stark-of-Winterfell
Summary: After her sacrifice at Klaus' hands, Elena is experiencing strange dreams about a man in hell. When she leaves Mystic Falls to find out what the dreams mean, she finds herself thrown into an entirely new world. Elena helps the Winchester brothers in the new threat that they're facing as she deals with her attraction to the elder of the two. Dean/Elena - around S4 SPN and S3 TVD
1. This is Where the Chapter Ends

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Okay so this is a restart of a series that I spent a lot of time on a few years ago. I went through a very bad time and became quite depressed and quit writing these stories. I did not plan on continuing them ever again but about a month ago, I started toying with the idea of restarting them. I finally decided to do it and so this is happening. I promise I will finish them up this time. If you are one of the previous readers of this series, I sincerely hope that you can forgive me.**

**The title is after the AC/DC song of the same name.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: This chapter is titled after the song 'Time of Our Lives' by Tyrone Wells**

**Just a few things to help you out with reading this possibly confusing story:**

**1. This starts after 'As I Lay Dying' (season two finale) in the TVD universe and just before 'Lazarus Rising' (season four premiere) in the Supernatural universe. Klaus has just broken the curse and Dean has been sent to hell by Lilith.**

**2. Jeremy isn't having any problems with his resurrection (i.e. he isn't seeing Anna and Vicki ghosts).**

**3. I am changing the lore of the doppelganger a bit in this story (making it more interesting). After all she is a supernatural being and with that should come some better abilities than just being sacrificed for Klaus. You'll figure them out as Elena figures them out.**

**4. There will be no Salvatore love triangle in this story! I don't hate the Salvatores but they are not Elena's love interests in this fanfiction. This story is Dean/Elena all the way and Elena will be badass in a lot of ways. With that being said, the Salvatores aren't going to be villains in this story either. Other than the fact that Stefan is being all influenced by Klaus. They might be assholes sometimes but they'll still be our Salvatores.**

**5. This story is going to take place more in the Supernatural universe than the TVD one.**

**6. IMPORTANT: On my profile, there are links to Elena's outfits. I am going to pursue doing this in a more organized way. Because of that, I've made a tumblr blog dedicated to this series. It is called hells-bells-series. It will have notifications on new chapters as well as pictures to help you see things that happen in the story.**

**7. I should mention that, while romance will still be involved and Dean and Elena's relationship will be a big deal, it won't be as centered as it was before. I think I let some of the storyline go because I was so focused on relationship stuff. For my sake, I'm going to try not to let that happen as much.**

* * *

Elena's eyes popped open, her chest heaving as she stared at the darkened ceiling of her room. Flashes of the nightmare went through her mind, always the same and always horrifying. She sat up slowly, glancing at the window to see that the moon was still shining high in the sky. It was the middle of the night. Elena reached over to her lamp, turning it on as she tried to swallow past her dry throat. Her legs were shaky as she stood and crossed to her bookshelf, pulling out the diary hidden behind the various books and grabbing a pen. Once she was back on the bed, she quickly turned to a clean page and took a deep breath.

_Dear Diary, _

Elena paused, glancing at the door through which she knew was Jeremy and Alaric, both most likely sound asleep. They sometimes heard her nightmares, she knew it. When they were particularly gruesome, she would wake up screaming. It would be easier for her if they were about Stefan or Klaus or Jenna. The reason they stuck in her mind so stubbornly was that she had no idea what they were about.

_Stefan still isn't back. We don't know where Klaus took him._

She wrote the words, trying to avoid writing about the nightmare as she did every night when she woke up. Eventually, she knew that they would make their way onto the page. She couldn't help it, wanting someone to know what she was dreaming about even if it was an inanimate object.

_I had the nightmare again. The same place, the same man. He's chained up, bloody, and screaming. Sometimes he sees me and screams for me. He begs for my help. I can't move. I can't even talk back to him. Sometimes he yells for someone else, pleading with this person to save him. I don't know who Sam is, but he must be important to the man. I know I'm saying what I've already said but… there's no difference. It's always the same. The poor man who is being tortured by the monstrous, laughing creature. That laugh is trapped in my head. It's cold and malicious. I don't know what's going on but I think that someone is trying to tell me something. I always knew that certain things have a price. I came back from the dead and someone else gave their life for that to happen. What if this is the cost? What if I'm seeing something that's really happening? What if I can stop it?_

Elena stopped writing, her eyes wide. This was the first time that she'd wondered whether the dreams were trying to tell her something. Before she just thought it was her crazy giving her the nightmares. Now it seemed that they were persistent enough that she was meant to see them. Elena didn't know if she believed in a higher power but it wouldn't be the strangest thing she'd ever encountered.

* * *

"How's Tyler doing?"

Caroline and Elena were walking through the town square, bags hanging off of their arms from the retail therapy they just engaged in.

"He's actually doing really well. His last transition was much better. He didn't get out of the cellar at all so it was pretty much a breeze." Caroline said, looking relieved at that.

"That's good." Elena nodded.

The blonde glanced over at her and sighed heavily.

"Okay what is it?" she asked.

Elena glanced up at her with surprise.

"What?" she replied.

"You've been weird for the last couple of months. And I don't mean 'my-vampire-boyfriend-was-taken-by-a-crazy-hybrid' weird. I mean 'I-have-something-seriously-wrong-with-me' weird. You always have bags under your eyes and you go into these dazes. Don't think I'm the only one who has noticed, either. Bonnie sees it too but she thinks you're just coping with everything that happened. I think you're suffering more than you let on and I'm worried." Caroline stopped, turning to face her with a wide-eyed, eyebrow-raised look. "Elena, what's happening with you?"

Elena stared at her for a moment, shock keeping her silent.

"I actually really don't know." She admitted, finally getting the urge to be truthful with someone over what was going on when she went to sleep.

* * *

"So you can see why this is an emergency friends meeting." Caroline finished speaking as she looked into the camera of the laptop.

Elena was seated behind her on the bed twiddling with her hands as Bonnie considered everything they told her.

"You've been having these nightmares ever since Stefan left?" she asked, looking sorry to bring it up.

She nodded, frowning.

"Always the same guy, always the same place. I'm just standing in the corner watching." Elena confirmed.

Bonnie glanced down, looking as though she was thinking hard.

"I can't see how this would be anything coincidental. I think we've learned enough to know that nothing is that normal." she said quietly.

"I'm going to stay with her tonight and keep an eye on her. If there's something weird going on while she's asleep, I'll know it." Caroline said.

"That's good." Bonnie agreed. "Call me when you wake up tomorrow, I'll want to know everything that happens."

They both nodded.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, Bon." Elena said, sounding guilty.

"Are you kidding? You saved me from watching hunting shows again." The witch said, rolling her eyes.

Elena and Caroline both smiled.

"We miss you!" Caroline exclaimed.

"I miss you guys too." Bonnie sighed. "I wish I could be there to help you with this. If it gets really serious, you should tell Alaric or… dare I say it… Damon. They may have experience or knowledge with this kind of thing."

Elena grimaced but nodded anyway. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Damon about any of this. He wasn't exactly easy to deal with at the moment. Caroline closed the laptop when Bonnie logged off, turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry to make you go through the trouble of this." Elena said quietly.

The blonde reached out and put her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not bothered about it, Elena. You've helped me so much and we're friends. It's what we do." She said, smiling slightly. "It's really just an excuse for a slumber party."

Elena smiled, knowing that in a few hours they wouldn't be able to be so cheery. She decided to forget about the nightmares for a few minutes and to have fun with Caroline.

* * *

"_Help me!"_

_Elena let out a soft whimper, reaching out towards him desperately. It took her several moments to realize that something was different. It wasn't the same man on the rack. He had light blonde hair and, from what she could see, brown eyes. He was shorter and rounder, his body caked in blood and his midsection ripped open. That's when she caught sight of the razor and her eyes slowly traveled up to the torturer. He wasn't monstrous. He wasn't laughing sadistically. He was moving methodically, as if mimicking something that he'd seen happen. When she saw his light brown hair reflecting in the light of the torches that lined the walls, Elena recoiled with horror._

"_Please, help me!" the unfamiliar man on the rack yelled at her._

_The torturer froze, slowly turning to catch sight of her standing there looking at him with fear on her face. His face looked different without being screwed up in pain. He was handsome, beautiful even. There was something flickering in his green eyes, something that made her certain this was something very terrible happening even without the torture added in. Elena opened her mouth, her long scream as she saw the form of her poor, beautiful man now cutting into the bodies on the rack just as he'd been cut into for the last few months._

Elena was jerked upwards, her eyes flying open as she realized that there were still screams echoing around her. She caught sight of a flash of blonde hair before a door slammed open. When she realized that the screams were coming from her mouth, Elena cut off with a strangled sob, collapsing into Caroline's arms as she comforted her.

"Is she all right?" Jeremy asked, moving forward.

Caroline shook her head, stroking Elena's sweat-soaked hair.

"She's been having nightmares for a while. We just… we thought they were about Klaus. They're getting worse." He said in a low voice.

Elena picked her head up, looking at Caroline with tear-stained cheeks and terrified eyes.

"It's different." She choked out, her body trembling. "He's different."

* * *

As soon as the door opened, Elena jumped up and ran into the entryway. Bonnie immediately embraced her, sighing heavily as they squeezed each other tightly.

"I'm so sorry." Elena cried as Caroline walked in as well.

Alaric and Jeremy were in the living room waiting on them. Both of them wanted an explanation and Elena didn't know what to tell them. Bonnie and Caroline promised her that they would explain.

"Don't be." Bonnie murmured, rubbing her back gently. "You are allowed to need me."

Elena pulled away with a hesitant expression.

"Was your dad angry?" she asked.

"Nah, he understands, especially with what happened to Jenna and John." She said, walking with Elena as Caroline led them back to the living room.

They all sat down, Elena sandwiched between her best friends. Jeremy and Alaric were patient, just waiting until someone spoke. Caroline started, telling them all about the nightmares and things with Bonnie's help.

"So… you think these nightmares… mean something?" Jeremy questioned when they were done.

"I honestly don't see how they can mean nothing." Elena sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "They're too… vivid. They feel so real."

She glanced up at Alaric, hoping that he would have something to say.

"I've come across a lot in hunting before I came to Mystic Falls. There are so many things out there that don't even touch Mystic Falls. I'm not even sure that I know about all of them. One thing I know for sure is that dreams that happen this often and that affect you this much shouldn't be ignored. I think that we should figure out how to stop them."

Elena raised her eyebrows with shock.

"But… wouldn't that be ignoring them? What if I'm supposed to do something?"

"Like what?" Alaric questioned. "Save this guy? You don't even know if he's real. What if it's just the after effects of Klaus' sacrifice?"

Elena swallowed hard, shaking her head.

"I just… I feel like this is different. It's a gut feeling and I don't think that I can ignore it. Someone is in trouble and I might be able to help." She said, speaking all of her inner thoughts and surprising everyone around her.

Caroline took a deep breath.

"What do you want to do, Elena? I mean, how do you even go about figuring out what's going on in your dreams?" she asked.

Elena stared at the ground, considering her words.

"Maybe you should get away from Mystic Falls for a while." Jeremy suggested. "We have those cousins in Colorado and you can stay with them."

Alaric frowned as Bonnie and Caroline both looked dismissive of the thought. Elena, however, considered it with a far off gaze. Maybe that's exactly what she needed to do. It sounded right, like someone suggested the perfect solution to her problem. Would leaving Mystic Falls make the dreams stop? Or would it lead her to find out what they meant?

"Elena is better protected here, especially from Klaus." Alaric said.

"Not particularly. There's always a chance he could come back to Mystic Falls." Bonnie reminded them. "Especially if he somehow gets Stefan to admit that Elena's alive. If she were to leave, Klaus would have no way of finding her."

"Unless he gets someone to admit to Colorado." Caroline sighed.

Elena looked up, her eyes going straight to Jeremy's. He stared back at her, reading her gaze. When her brother nodded, she knew that she'd made her decision and he knew it as well. They didn't even have to speak aloud to understand each other, sibling privilege.

"I think that Jeremy is right." she finally spoke.

They all looked at her.

"But… what about school? It's only starting in like, a month." Caroline reminded her. "And what if somehow, Klaus does get wind of you? What if he searches for you? He has witches, we already know that."

Bonnie sat up a little straighter.

"I can help with that." she volunteered.

"And I can go to school in Colorado." Elena lied, hoping that she was being a good enough actress at the moment. "I think that Jeremy is right. I think that a break from all of the insane stuff here is just what I need."

As she spoke, a plan formulated in her head. If she was going to figure out what was going on in her head when she slept, she knew that she would have to do it alone. Her eyes flashed to Bonnie and she suddenly realized that the witch knew exactly what was going on. Bonnie didn't say a word about it, simply nodding at Elena.

"I'll get started on protecting Elena." she said, sounding certain. "I think that the sooner we can get her to a normal environment, the better."

* * *

It took a few more days for everyone to warm up to the fact that Elena was leaving. It took even longer to convince them all to keep it from Damon until after she left. They all knew that he would not agree with her leaving and they knew that Damon had a track record of going very far to get what he wanted. As they all gathered beside the red Mini Cooper, Elena watched as Alaric and Jeremy loaded her bags into the back of the car.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked, walking up to wrap her arms around Elena.

"I think it's for the best, Care." She sighed. "These dreams are just… too much."

The blonde vampire drew away and looked at her sadly.

"We'll come visit." She decided.

Elena nodded, feeling guilty that she was doing something completely opposite of what they thought she was doing. Bonnie was next, sliding a locket on a chain into her hand.

"This'll keep you from being able to be found by magic." she informed Elena. "Don't open it, there are herbs in there for protection."

Elena nodded, sliding it over her head and letting it drop into her dress to remain hidden.

"Thanks Bon." She said, smiling up at her.

The witch embraced her tightly, inhaling deeply.

"Be careful." Bonnie muttered in a low voice so that no one else could hear. "If you need any help at all, call me immediately."

"Thank you." Elena whispered before drawing away.

Tyler gave her a quick hug, going to stand next to Caroline much to Matt's obvious displeasure. When she embraced her ex, she patted his back.

"Take care of my little brother." she said, knowing that they were becoming friends more and more that summer.

"Take care of yourself." Matt replied, squeezing her before letting go.

She smiled up at him.

"See you later, Matt." Elena said.

Alaric was next, putting his hand on her head and drawing her into his chest in a fatherly hug.

"You come back whenever you want." He said. "We'll be here to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Elena knew that Alaric sensed something was off. He was a hunter, after all.

"Try not to let Damon kill you again." She said. "Maybe try stabbing him before he does you."

Alaric let out a chuckle and nodded, kissing her forehead before moving away. Jeremy was next, burying his face in her hair as they hugged.

"Be safe, please." He said.

There was desperation in his voice that Elena understood. He couldn't lose anymore family. She wondered if she was being selfish, running away to find her mystery man when her brother needed her to be alive. But Elena didn't think that she had a choice. The more she thought about what she was doing, the more she thought that it was the right thing. When she climbed into the car, Elena touched the locket beneath her shirt and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"All right." she sighed, nodding. "Now what?"

* * *

**I hope that you liked it! Please let me know what you think if you're reading! It is quite a bit different from when I first published this because my writing has matured and I'm trying to do the best that I can for all of you and for me. If you know me, you know that reviewing my stories gets you very good privileges.**

**Preview: The next chapter will include Elena meeting several Supernatural characters, including Dean. Her eyes are also opened to the whole new world of supernatural beings that she never knew existed.**


	2. A New One Now Begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thank you so very much to RHatch89, LineChokor, beverlie4055, MaddAlice, Kendra1994, Cold North, JMHUW, and TheGrandTootah for welcoming me back so kindly. You are all so very amazing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: This chapter is titled after the song 'Time of Our Lives' by Tyrone Wells**

**A few things:**

**1. Once again, I am changing some things up so it isn't all going to be the same though a lot of it might be familiar.**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**3. Please please let me know if you like seeing her outfits. I'm not sure if anyone actually looks at them or not so it would be very helpful to me.**

**4. Please review!**

* * *

**One Month Later**

"My feet are sore, I have coffee down my work uniform, and I am terrified of going to sleep." Elena said simply as she walked into the motel room.

"Damon threatened to disembowel the next person who said they didn't know where you are." Bonnie replied, sounding amused.

Elena sighed, sitting on the bed and looking down at her required diner uniform.

"Is everyone else okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're all fine. No signs of Klaus here which is good. We're just worried about you." Bonnie said.

She glanced around at the room that she'd spent the last three weeks in.

"I'm worried too. I'm worried that I'll have come out here for no reason. I haven't had dreams in a few weeks and I honestly have no idea what to do."

"Now you're hoping for the freaky dreams? At least you're close to Chicago." Bonnie said, trying to look on the bright side. "You can always go shopping."

Elena shook her head before realizing that her friend couldn't see it.

"All of the money I'm making is going into keeping me shacked up a motel. I'm one more dreamless night away from heading back to Mystic Falls. I'll take Damon's threats over not knowing what's going on." Elena muttered.

Bonnie made a noise of sympathy.

"Maybe the dreams were just dreams." She suggested.

Elena stared at the wall with a calculating look.

"Maybe."

* * *

_There was bright light everywhere. She was blinded. Screaming still echoed around her but it wasn't the same. They were screaming for the warriors to save them. Through all of the light, she saw a large being moving. The man struggled, yelling against the creature as he dragged him away. When they began rising into the air, she caught sight of the man's face. His green eyes were terrified and furious, his mouth twisted into a howl of pain as the creature's hand seared into his shoulder. Somehow she knew exactly what was happening. For some reason, she felt elated as she watched the two beings rise higher and higher, a piercing sound ringing the air._

Elena immediately sat up as soon as she drew out of consciousness. Flashes of the dreams still formed in her mind as she tried to process it all. They weren't just dreams, they had to be more. Whatever she just saw had to mean something, Elena was certain of it. She saw light peeking in through the curtains of the motel room. Quietly, she slid out of bed, her heart pounding as she got dressed. After her promise that if she didn't have more dreams, she was going home, she had the most vivid and confusing of them all. There was obviously something that didn't want her giving up. With a sense of which direction she was meant to travel, she packed up her belongings and walked out of the motel, ready to figure out what was going on.

* * *

As she drove out of the small town of Braidwood with a full tank of gas, Elena quickly texted out a message to Bonnie telling the witch that she was on the move after another dream.

**You have your pendant?**

Elena touched the locket that sat over her heart automatically. It was habit to feel it there by now. Once she assured Bonnie that she had it, Elena put her phone down and concentrated on driving. When she began nearing the larger town of Pontiac, several things happened at once. Her gas gauge dinged to let her know that it was almost empty. Elena looked down at it incredulously, hoping desperately that there wasn't something wrong with her gas tank. If there was a leak, she didn't have the money to get it fixed. In the next moment, her eyes were attracted to something to her left. Elena slammed on the brakes, grateful that there was no one around as she pulled to the side of the road.

Once she climbed out of the car, she approached the field warily. It looked as though a bomb had gone off. The trees were all lying on the ground away from a central spot. She could see a wooden cross standing there and her heart skipped a beat as she assumed that it must have been a grave. Elena walked forward hesitantly, wondering if whatever was happening was related to her mystery man. When she reached the cross, she gasped at what she saw. The ground was disturbed but not as if someone had dug it up with a shovel. The dirt was pushed outward, slightly caved in on a hole large enough to fit a grown man.

Elena staggered backwards, glancing around as she tried to figure out what it all meant. It sounded crazy to even think that someone might have crawled out of their grave. Suddenly the sight of the large creature of her dream reached her mind. A being of that size and power could certainly cause the destruction that she was seeing around her. But how was it possible for someone to be raised from their grave. Elena turned, walking away as quickly as she could as a chill ran down her spine. She climbed into her car only to see that the gas was still running out.

"Shit." Elena sighed, thumping her head on the steering wheel before pulling out onto the road once more.

After driving for ten minutes with a terrifying thought that she might run out of gas with no one around, Elena finally spotted a run down gas station. She pulled into it quickly, grabbing her wallet and turning the car off. When she climbed out and stood in front of the pump, Elena quickly realized that there was no place to insert a card. She had to go inside to pay. Elena casted her glance at the small convenience store, feeling something pulling her inside for some reason. Her feet carried her forward as she peeked in through the windows. It didn't look like anyone was there at all. It would be just her luck if it was abandoned.

When she reached the door, her eyes widened when she saw that the glass in it had been broken as if someone broke in. Despite her instincts, Elena pushed the door open and stepped inside. The door gave a pitiful ding as it closed slowly. She jumped at the noise and turned to glare at the door. When Elena turned back, she caught sight of someone framed in a doorway.

"Oh my God!" she said, pressing her hand to her racing heart as she stared at the man's dirty face.

It was her mystery man. He was standing in front of her looking like… Elena swallowed hard, shaking her head slightly. It looked like he could have dug himself out of his grave.

"What the hell?" the man asked, his voice deep and rough.

Elena was rooted to the spot, watching him with wide eyes. He must have recognized her which meant that whatever was happening in her dreams was real. It was the proof right in front of her.

"Are you the one who did this?" he demanded, stalking forward.

Her face adopted a confused look as she stumbled backwards. He had her pressed against the wall and his angry green eyes were inches from her.

"Did what?" she questioned, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"This!" he growled, pushing his sleeve up to reveal a red handprint on his shoulder.

Elena stared at it, feeling strangely entranced by the mark.

"No, I didn't." she said quietly, glancing back up at him.

The man stared at her with squinted eyes for a moment.

"And here I thought you black-eyed sons of bitches did everything you could to be given credit for your great ideas." He scoffed.

Elena frowned, very confused by his sentence.

"Black-eyed?" she asked.

The man looked just as confused as she felt for a moment.

"You… black eyes… black smoke… you know? A demon."

Elena's eyes widened even more at the word.

"Demon?" she repeated, feeling something stirring within her at the word.

"Yeah, ugly bastards all of you. Just cause I can't see your true face doesn't mean I don't know exactly what you look like."

Elena stared at him, wondering if he was insane.

"I don't know what you're talking about but this is the only face that I have." she informed him.

The man stared at her before glancing around. When he caught sight of something, he grabbed it off of the shelf and shoved it at her.

"Take a spoonful." He demanded.

Elena began to truly fear that he was a mad man.

"Of salt?" she questioned.

He nodded once, a jerk of his head. When she saw that he was serious, Elena opened the salt with difficulty on account of her trembling hands. When she finally got it open, she unwillingly poured some of it into her mouth and cringed as the taste hit her. It was not a great feeling to be eating salt by itself. The man watched as she did it, surprise flickering over his gaze when all she did was swallow it with difficulty.

"You mind if I grab some water now?"

She slipped past him once he nodded and pulled a bottle of water out of the cooler. When she saw the three crushed bottles on the counter, her eyes flickered to him where he was watching her with a calculating look.

"You wanna tell me how it's possible that you're standing here in this store with me when I saw you in hell?" he asked.

Elena's eyes widened once again as she considered his words.

"Hell." She whispered. "Of course."

The man looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"It was in my dreams, whatever you were seeing with me in the room, I was dreaming it." Elena informed him.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe that she actually was talking to the man that was the main star of her gruesome dreams.

"You dreamed of my hell, why?" the man questioned.

"Hell if I know." Elena shrugged. "All I know is that I had the dreams and I was led here for some reason. I guess… I guess it was to find you."

He stared at her for another few silent moments.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Elena hesitated, wanting to know his name before she told him hers. Her experiences ever since her parents' death told her not to trust anyone. When she saw the resolute look on his face, she knew that was most likely a battle that she would not be winning.

"Elena. Yours?" she asked, keeping it to first name only.

"Dean." He answered, doing the same.

She stepped towards him, somehow finding her confidence now that she knew his name.

"I saw you in my dreams for four months. I don't know how it's possible or even why it happened. All I know is that I need answers. I have the sense that you can provide them for me or at least help me figure it out because I think after that many nightmares, I deserve some sort of explanation." She said.

Dean looked at her with wide eyes, looking as though he didn't hear all of what she said.

"Four months?" he breathed.

Elena frowned at him.

"It's September?" Dean questioned.

She nodded, her eyes flashing to his arm where she knew that the handprint was hidden by the sleeve.

"Well I…"

Elena was interrupted by the television turning on suddenly. Her head turned as they both stared at the screen that was filled with static. Dean walked around her, going behind the counter to turn it off. As soon as he turned his back on it, the television switched on again. Elena gasped and jumped as the radio on the counter switched on as well.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeing panic written across Dean's face.

He darted for the salt once more, this time popping it open. Elena watched with confusion as he poured it out on a windowsill. A piercing ringing noise began building up in their ears. It grew louder and louder until they both dropped everything they were holding to clap their hands over their ears. Elena collapsed to her knees as Dean groaned in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. When more windows exploded, spraying them with glass, they fell to the ground and yelled out at the stabbing pain that the ringing was causing. Suddenly it was over as quickly as it began.

Elena glanced up at Dean to see him looking around.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, his voice a little louder than necessary.

She nodded, sitting up and wincing at the throbbing in her head.

"I don't know what the hell that was." Dean said, looking around.

Elena glanced back at him.

"You said something about demons." She said, unable to believe that she was mentioning this.

On the one hand, it made sense to her for some reason, as if she always knew in the back of her mind that other things than just vampires, witches, and werewolves existed. Dean looked at her, resignation in his eyes as if he'd had to have this conversation many times before.

"Yeah, if you're going to ride with me you'll need to know a few things. Demons, ghosts, all those things your parents told you didn't exist… they exist." He said.

Elena frowned, not liking much that he assumed she was unknowledgeable about anything.

"It makes sense." She said.

Dean nodded but then he did a double take and stared at her with confusion.

"It does?" he questioned.

She nodded once, smirking at him without really realizing what she was doing.

"If vampires, werewolves, and witches can exist, why not demons and ghosts and all those things my parents supposedly told me didn't exist." Elena said.

Dean's eyes widened even more and he was speechless. She walked past him, finding that she was suddenly quite hungry.

"Well if you were in hell for four months, you had to have missed chocolate." Elena said, tossing him a chocolate bar before grabbing one of her own. "I know I would."

Dean opened it automatically, taking a bite as she watched him appraisingly. He seemed to enjoy it for a few bites before he snapped out of it.

"We gotta get out of here." He said, hurrying to walk behind the counter.

Elena turned where she was leaning against it to watch him pull money out of the register as if he did it all the time. It should have bothered her as it was stealing but for some reason it didn't.

"We?" she questioned, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm not letting you go anywhere until we figure out why the hell you were in my hell and my hell was in your dreams." Dean said, shoving everything in a plastic bag. "I've been around not normal all my life and whatever is going on here is about five miles past not normal."

Elena followed him outside and skidded to a stop before she could run into his suddenly still figure.

"I need to call someone first." He said, glancing at the payphone.

"You can use my phone." Elena offered. "I should put a bandage on your shoulder too."

Dean looked at her, taking his turn to be surprised.

"That your car?" he asked, nodding at the Mini Cooper.

"Nope." Elena said, not missing a beat. "It's abandoned. That's mine."

She nodded at the crappy car that looked as though it was missing half of its parts. Dean glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow and Elena found herself grinning at him before she could help it. With a wink, she turned to walk to her car, handing him her phone before digging through a suitcase in her trunk to find her first aid kit. Dean was sitting in the front seat squished in the small seat when she sat in the driver's seat. As he dialed, Elena pushed his sleeve up and pulled out a burn salve that she knew would help it. Dean winced, hissing in pain as she brushed her fingertips over the wound.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Dean didn't say anything, listening in on the call he was making. Elena heard the unmistakable message mentioning that the phone he was calling was no longer in service. Dean frowned, glancing over at her before dialing a new number. When she finished up bandaging the handprint, Elena caught sight of his hands and fought back a gasp at his scraped knuckles and broken fingernails. It was clear that he'd smashed through a coffin lid all on his own. She lifted his hands into her lap, dabbing peroxide on the wounds before slowly bandaging them up as well. She felt his eyes on her as she cleaned him up but she didn't look back, concentrating. When a voice was heard on the other end of the phone, Dean sat up straighter.

"Bobby?" he said, breathless.

"Yeah?" the man on the other end answered, the phone's volume loud enough for Elena to hear.

"It's me." Dean said, sounding hopeful.

"Who's me?" Bobby questioned, sounding suspicious.

"Dean." He answered.

In the next moment, a dial tone sounded. Dean frowned and hung up before dialing the same number again.

"Who is this?" Bobby growled as soon as he answered.

"Bobby, listen to me." Dean began, ready to launch into an explanation as to why he was calling.

:This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya." Bobby snapped before hanging up.

Dean pulled the phone away from his ear with a shocked look. Elena glanced away, wanting to give him as much privacy as she could.

"You mind taking me to Sioux Falls?" Dean asked. "I think I gotta see Bobby face to face if I ever want him to talk to me again."

Elena stared at him for a moment before nodding, putting the destination into her phone.

"We're sticking together until we figure out what my dreams meant." She reminded him, staring her car. "Oh but… shit."

Elena groaned, thumping her head on the steering wheel.

"What?" Dean asked, sounding panicked.

"I'm out of gas. I got it forty minutes ago but apparently now I'm almost out." she said, sounding frustrated.

"You've got over three fourths of a tank." He said, sounding confused and concerned.

Elena stared at the gauge for a moment, trying to figure out why it lost all of the gas only to gain it back.

* * *

They were driving for about ten minutes before Elena couldn't keep her questions to herself. There was so much she wanted to say and this man seemed to know more answers than he was letting on.

"How is it possible that you got raised out of hell?" she questioned. "The way I always heard, it's a one way trip."

Dean glanced over at her, meeting her eyes for a moment before looking away.

"I don't know." He said honestly. "My best guess is some high powered demon but even that had to have had some catalyst. That's why I need to find my brother."

Elena thought about his words for a moment.

"Your brother… is that Sam?" she asked.

Dean's hands clenched in his lap for a moment and he let out a grunt of pain at the stress it put on his wounded knuckles.

"Yeah, Sam is my brother." he nodded.

Elena sensed that she hit a sore spot and became quiet again. A few minutes later, it was Dean's turn to speak.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know about what you know?" he asked.

Elena took a deep breath, glancing at him.

"I'll tell you if you tell me." she bartered.

He nodded and she searched her mind for the right thing to say. She wasn't going to come right out and tell this stranger everything. Even if they'd been in each other's presence for four months, that didn't mean she was supposed to trust him with all of her life story.

"My father and uncle were vampire hunters." She finally settled on her answer. "I found out just this past year but ever since then, the information has been flooding in."

Dean looked over at her with surprise, an emotion both of them seemed to be feeling constantly in each other's presence.

"Hunters?" he asked.

"Yeah, you heard of them?" Elena said.

"I'm one of them." he nodded. "At least I used to be."

Elena remained quiet for a minute, absorbing his words and thinking about them.

"Well maybe that's why." She suggested. "Someone knew that you were needed. Maybe there's work to do that hunters have to be involved in."

Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"It's a nice theory but demons don't really want hunters out there in the world. We mess with their business of fucking things up." He said.

"Well what if it wasn't a demon that pulled you out." she suggested.

"There's nothing else that has the juice." Dean sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Elena grew quiet once again.

"Any other hunters you knew?" he asked.

"Alaric Saltzman." She answered, not really knowing why she was telling him the name of her friend.

Dean looked at her with a furrowed brow.

"I recognize the name." he said.

"Maybe you came across him. He mostly does vampires too. Do you have a specialty?" Elena questioned.

He shook his head.

"Me and my brother… we do what's needed no matter what monster we're facing that week."

Elena frowned, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"You know, they don't all have to be monsters." She said quietly, thinking of Caroline, Bonnie, and Tyler.

Dean let out a humorless chuckle.

"You obviously haven't been around them enough."

Elena felt annoyance for a moment until she realized that there was sadness in his voice. That was when she knew that Dean had experienced tragedy in his life just as she had. There was a good chance that it was because of something supernatural. The more she learned, the more she was convinced that this was exactly where she was meant to be. The only thing that bothered her was that she had no idea what lead her there. If whatever raised Dean out of hell was a demon, was there a chance that it brought her there as well?

* * *

Halfway through the eight-hour trip, they'd moved on from how they knew about vampires and such.

"I don't see how you can think that." Dean argued.

Elena rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"It is what any sane person would think. Obviously your brain's been a little addled. You were out of commission for a few months, it's understandable." She shrugged.

"No no, you're just wrong." Dean shook his head vehemently, jabbing his hand at the radio. "Led Zeppelin all the way."

"I entirely disagree. They had some good times and Robert Plant is a great singer but The Rolling Stones are the greatest rock band of all time."

Dean glared over at her, certainly trying to get lasers to shoot out of them.

"If we were in my car, you'd be walking the rest of the way."

Elena grinned over at him, unbothered by his threat.

"But luckily we're in mine and I'm feeling gracious enough to let you ride in my passenger's seat." She replied.

Dean remained silent for a moment before he couldn't take it anymore.

"Ramble On." he argued.

"Paint It Black." Elena replied.

"Traveling Riverside Blues." Dean said desperately.

"Satisfaction."

"Black Dog!"

"Emotional Rescue." Elena said, enjoying their small argument far too much.

"Kashmir."

"Start Me Up."

Dean threw his hands in the air, turning to face away from her.

"I can't talk to someone who is so irrational." He said.

"This coming from the guy who thinks that Metallica is better than Journey." Elena teased.

"They are better!"

"I can't even remember the last time I heard a Metallica song on the radio! Journey, however, plays all the time. Popular opinion is against you, Dean." She shrugged.

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Elena bit her bottom lip as she glanced over at him.

"Styx is in my top five." She said.

Dean lifted his head a bit before glancing over at her.

"That gives you a little bit more credit." He nodded.

Elena grinned happily as she turned up the song on the radio. Sure enough, Led Zeppelin began playing at that moment. They exchanged looks and Elena even thought she saw a flicker of a smile on his face.

* * *

When they pulled up to their destination, Elena looked around the salvage yard with raised eyebrows.

"This is where your friend is?" she questioned, glancing at the run down house.

"Don't worry, Bobby'll like you." Dean said, pushing the door open. "Most likely."

Elena looked at him with a frown before climbing out as well. He groaned as he stood to full height, wincing as his muscles stretched.

"Remind me never to scrunch up like that again." He grumbled.

"I could have left you at that gas station. Count your blessings." Elena said, pointing at him with her key as she walked around the car.

They walked up to the door and Dean hesitated, glancing around.

"Do you want me to knock?" Elena questioned.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath before banging his fist on the door twice. They waited for several moments before the door was pulled open. The man in the doorway had a plaid shirt and a trucker's hat on. He smelled faintly of whiskey and his beard was grey in spots. When he saw Dean, his face took on a look of shock and confusion.

"Surprise." Dean said.

Elena furrowed her brows, frowning at him. That was not how you greeted friends when you've come back from the dead. Dean apparently thought it was fine.

"I, I don't..." Bobby stammered.

"Yeah, me neither." Dean sighed, stepping into the house. "But here I am."

As he approached the older male, suddenly Bobby launched at him with a silver knife in his hand. Elena gasped as he slashed at Dean and they began fighting for control of the knife. Dean wrestled him away, grabbing his arm and twisting it away from him. Bobby backhanded him, forcing him to stagger away as Elena watched helplessly. She had to wonder if this was always how Dean's friends greeted him.

"Bobby! It's me!" Dean said, throwing his hands up.

"My ass!" the man growled.

Dean shoved a chair between them to stop the man from attacking him. From the way they were fighting, Elena was left to assume that Bobby was a hunter as well.

"Wait!" Dean yelled, stopping Bobby in his tracks. "Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father."

Elena hesitantly stepped into the house as they stared each other down.

"Bobby. It's me." Dean sighed.

Bobby lowered the knife, stepping forward slowly as he pushed the chair out of the way. He laid a hand on Dean's shoulder, staring up at him. Suddenly he slashed at him again. Dean was ready, disarming him.

"I am not a shapeshifter!" Dean yelled as he backed up with the knife in his grip.

"Then you're a Revenant!" Bobby fired back, looking around for anything else to defend himself with.

"Alright." Dean said, sounding tired. "If I was either, could I do this… with a silver knife?"

Elena watched with a grimace as he rolled his sleeve up and sliced a thin cut into his upper forearm. He winced as a line of blood ran down his arm.

"Dean?" Bobby questioned, looking shocked once more as he finally believed him.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Dean said, his body relaxing.

Bobby lunged forward once more, this time grabbing Dean in for a tight hug. The younger male returned it with enthusiasm, relief on his face. Elena relaxed as well, turning away to close the door as she wanted to give them a bit of privacy.

"It's... it's good to see you, boy." Bobby said as he pulled away, looking up at Dean with wonder.

"Yeah, you too." Dean nodded, smiling at him.

The smile didn't reach his eyes, something that both Bobby and Elena noticed. When Dean's eyes flashed up to her, Bobby turned around to look at her.

"Who's this?" he questioned.

"Elena." she said.

Dean stepped around him and she looked up at him as he stood beside her.

"There's something weird going on, Bobby."

"You ain't kidding." Bobby agreed.

"Elena was… led to me somehow. We're sticking together until we figure out what happened." Dean said, ignoring his comment.

Elena nodded, looking at Bobby hesitantly.

"You test her?" he questioned.

"Salt." Dean nodded.

The older hunter looked satisfied before looking at Dean once more.

"How did you bust out?" Bobby asked

"I don't know. I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..."

Suddenly they both had water splashed into their face from a flask. Elena jumped and gasped, rubbing at her eyes as Dean paused in his speaking and spat the water out that went into his mouth.

"I'm not a demon either, you know. Neither is Elena." Dean said, looking back at him.

"Sorry. Can't be too careful." Bobby shrugged. "Let's go in here."

"Do you mind if I use a bathroom?" Elena questioned as Dean grabbed a towel off of the counter.

"Yeah, just go to upstairs and to the left." Bobby nodded.

She went up the stairs and into the bathroom to give them privacy. After drying her face off and washing her hands, Elena pulled her hair back into a ponytail and walked out once more. When she made her way downstairs, they were talking about Dean's brother. When she walked in and leaned against the doorway, Bobby nodded at her. Elena assumed that was a sign that he was accepting her presence for now.

"Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..." Dean trailed off.

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know." Bobby said.

"Good..." Dean paused before realizing what he said. "Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

"I haven't talked to him for months." Bobby shrugged.

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?" he demanded, looking angry for a moment.

"He was dead set on it." the older male said.

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him." Dean sighed, turning away as he pinched his nose between his finger and thumb.

"I tried. These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him or me. We had to bury you." Bobby reminded him.

"Why did you bury me, anyway?" Dean questioned, looking back at him.

"I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

"Salted and burned?" Elena said, unable to keep from questioning it.

"It's how you keep from becoming a vengeful spirit. Hunters are some of the most vengeful people out there." Dean said without missing a beat. "I'm actually glad Sam won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow. That's about all he said." Bobby informed him.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"He was quiet. Real quiet. And then he just took off. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found." Bobby said.

"Oh, dammit, Sammy." Dean sighed, shaking his head as he paced around the room.

"What?" Bobby questioned.

"You think he got you out." Elena said, knowing why he sounded upset.

He nodded and Bobby glanced between them.

"But whatever he did, it is bad mojo." Dean said.

"What makes you so sure?" Bobby asked.

"You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past us at a fill-up joint."

"And then there's your shoulder." Elena reminded Dean.

He nodded, stripping off his jacket and pulling his sleeve up to show Bobby the handprint.

"What in the hell?" Bobby said, standing up with wide eyes.

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out." Dean said.

Elena pressed her lips together, not really wanting to mention how wrong and dirty that sounded at the moment of seriousness.

"But why?" Bobby questioned.

"To hold up their end of the bargain." Dean said simply.

"You think Sam made a deal." Bobby realized.

"A deal?" Elena said, thinking back on all the things she heard about demons throughout her life. "Like… crossroads? Selling his soul? Signing in blood?"

Dean glanced at her.

"Not exactly, but you get the idea." He said.

"He sold his soul to get you out?" She questioned, realizing the seriousness of that situation.

"It's what I would have done." Dean said honestly.

* * *

Elena sat on the couch, watching as Dean worked to find Sam by tracking his phone. When he questioned Bobby about the alcohol scattered around his house, Elena felt bad for the older male. From the way he was looking at Dean, Bobby wasn't just the closest thing that Dean had to a father. Dean was the closest thing he had to a son, most likely Sam as well. If she didn't know better, she would think that they were father and son. It made her dwell and wonder what happened to Dean's real father if Bobby was who they had.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois." Dean finally discovered, pulling Elena out of her thoughts.

"Right near where you were planted." Bobby said.

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Dean sighed, standing up and grabbing his jacket. "We gotta go find him."

"Wait." Elena said, stepping in front of Dean. "You have got cuts all over your body and you're filthy. The dirt will cause an infection and I don't think that's exactly what you need right now. You should go upstairs and clean off. Then we can go. Sam will not likely leave Pontiac if he's waiting for you."

Dean looked like he wanted to argue but he simply nodded, turning to glance at Bobby.

"You wouldn't have any of my old clothes by any chance?" he asked.

When he was upstairs and taking a shower, Bobby looked at Elena with an impressed expression.

"I ain't never seen him obey anyone like that. You gotta tell me your secrets, girl."

She flushed, smiling slightly as she sat back down to wait.

* * *

When Dean came back down, Bobby was packing up to go. Elena had already packed some of her clothes into a backpack when Bobby told her that they may not return within the next twenty-four hours.

"You mind leaving your car behind?" he asked as they walked outside.

"I'm coming with you?" Elena asked with surprise.

"We're sticking together." Dean reiterated.

Elena nodded, wondering why Dean wanted her to come on the trip to round up his brother. When they walked outside, Bobby opened the trunk to his car to reveal a stash of every weapon known to man, including a mace.

"Wow." Elena breathed, looking at all of them.

If she were anyone else, she knew that she would be afraid of the two men with the multitude of weapons. Instead, Elena was a little bit impressed and she knew that Alaric would probably drool over Bobby's collection.

"I thought you said her dad's a hunter." Bobby said, confused by her reaction.

"Not this kind of hunter. He still had a day job." Elena said as he closed the trunk.

"And a family." Dean said, walking to the car and opening the back door for Elena.

She climbed in quietly, detecting the bitterness in his voice. Then she realized that Dean thought her father was still alive. Her heart thumped painfully as she stared out the window.

"I sure hope this isn't Sam." Bobby sighed as they drove down the road.

"You and me both." Dean agreed.

As they spoke, Elena kept to her thoughts, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep that she needed desperately.

* * *

Elena's eyes fluttered open to see Dean's face hovering in front of her. He was leaning into the car shaking her awake.

"We're here. I didn't want to leave you in the car." He said, his voice leaving it clear that it would be stupid for her to be alone right now.

"I'm coming." She sighed, sliding out of the car and stretching out as Dean slammed the door closed.

They walked up to the motel. In order to get Sam's motel room number, the man at the check in counter requested several twenty-dollar bills in the form of a bribe. As they approached room 207, Bobby gestured for Dean to go first. The door swung open after he knocked to reveal a brunette female in a tank top and underwear and nothing else. Elena stared at her with surprise as Dean raised his eyebrows and Bobby simply sighed.

"So where is it?" the woman demanded rudely.

Dean glanced at Bobby with confusion before looking back at her.

"Where's what?" he asked.

"The pizza... that takes two guys and a girl to deliver?" she said as if it was obvious.

"I think we got the wrong room." Dean said, backing away as he shook his head.

"Hey, is..." another voice rang out.

A tall man with long brown hair and a grim look on his face walked into the room. He stopped short when he saw them standing outside the room, his eyes mainly on Dean. Elena knew in that moment that she was looking at Sam.

"Heya, Sammy." Dean said, emotion thick in his voice.

The woman stepped aside as Dean stepped into the room but Elena thought that she saw a flash of recognition in her dark eyes. When Dean grew closer to his brother, Sam suddenly drew a knife. The female in underwear shrieked as he went to stab Dean and they grappled with it in a scene that was too familiar to Elena. Bobby launched forward to help them, as did Elena. She didn't know what possessed her to pull them apart along with Bobby. As they separated them, Bobby held Sam back and Elena pulled Dean away to keep him safe.

"Who are you?" Sam shouted.

"Like you didn't do this?" Dean growled back angrily.

"Do what?"

"It's him. It's him." Bobby said, interrupted their fight. "I've been through this already, it's really him."

Sam stared at Dean as the struggle left his body and he stilled.

"What?" he breathed.

Dean walked towards him cautiously, his hands still in a defensive position.

"I know." He said solemnly before his face broke out in a grin. "I look fantastic, huh?"

Bobby let go of Sam, who looked like he was very close to crying. Both brothers stepped forward and embraced each other tightly. Sam's embrace was filled with desperation while Dean's was filled with relief. Elena averted her eyes once more and Bobby looked at the boys with pride and happiness in his eyes. When Sam pulled away, he stared at Dean as if he thought he might disappear at any moment.

"So are you two like... together?"

They all turned to look at the scantily clad female as she stared between Dean and Sam. They both frowned at her and Sam was the first to speak.

"What?" he said. "No. No. He's my brother."

The woman nodded before shifting uncomfortably under their gazes.

"Uh... got it. I... I guess." She said. "Look, I should probably go."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry." Sam agreed.

Several moments later, she was walking out fully dressed with a purse thrown over her shoulder. She glanced back at Sam as the other three watched quietly.

"So, call me." she said hopefully.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kathy." Sam nodded, leaning on the doorway.

Her face fell and she looked disappointed.

"Kristy." She corrected him.

Sam sighed, nodding.

"Right." He said.

She shot him another smile before turning to leave as Sam shut the door. Elena saw Dean and Bobby's faces shift to serious suspicion and she knew that it was time for them to question Sam. She stepped back and leaned against the wall beside the window, glancing out at the moonlit sky.

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean questioned as Sam sat down.

"The girl?" Sam asked, smiling. "I don't pay, Dean."

"That's not funny, Sam." Dean snapped. "To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?" Sam scoffed.

"That's exactly what we think." Bobby confirmed.

"Well, I didn't." Sam informed them.

Dean stared at him intensely, looking as though he was trying to see into his very soul.

"Don't lie to me." he said in a low voice.

"I'm not lying." Sam said.

Dean suddenly launched forward, yanking him up his shirt.

"So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it?" he yelled as Bobby leapt up as well. "You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."

"Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?" Sam shouted back.

"There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!" Dean demanded.

Sam broke Dean's grip and staggered away, staring at him with a hopeless look.

"I tried everything. That's the truth." He said, sounding emotional. "I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

Elena glanced at Dean and saw that he was relenting, he believed his brother.

"It's okay, Sammy." He sighed, sitting back down. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question." Bobby said.

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?" Dean wondered.

* * *

**I would love it if you could review and tell me what you think, my lovely readers!**

**Next Chapter: Elena and Sam formally meet and they discuss the identity of Dean's rescuer. When their backgrounds come up, Elena and the Winchesters are all wary of discussing them with each other. Dean becomes hell-bent on summoning the being who rescued him from hell and they are surprised at who shows up.**


	3. Friendly Strangers on the Path

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to Cold North, purified-sam, xxPaige23xx, RHatch89, LineChokor, JMHUW, MaddAlice, KwC1994, Roswell Triquetra, beverlie4055, Kendra1994, and taylena4ever for reviewing and to everyone for reading! I love you all very much!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: This chapter is titled after the song 'Spinning into Place' by Younger Brother**

**A few things:**

**1. As you can see from the above, I'm beginning to title the chapters after either song titles or lyrics. If there is a song that particularly inspires a chapter, I'll give you that as well. I listen to music a lot while writing.**

**2. I am going to keep posting Elena's outfits on my profile, if you would like to see them. There will probably be one for every chapter.**

**3. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena perched on one side of the couch with Dean on the other and Bobby in one of the chairs. Sam walked in holding three bottles of beer and a bottle of water for her. After he passed them out, he sat in the other chair.

"Who's this?" he finally asked, his curiosity overtaking him. "You pick up a hitchhiker or something?"

Elena frowned at him, squinting slightly.

"The opposite, actually." Dean said, staring at him as well. "She found me after I popped out."

Sam looked like he wanted to question it more but he remained silent.

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean questioned, popping the cap off of his bottle.

"Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback." Sam shrugged.

Elena kept her curiosities to herself. It wasn't much of her business who Lilith was even if she was trying to figure out how her and Dean were linked. The only thing that she could think of was that Lilith contributed to Dean's death.

"All by yourself." Bobby demanded in an accusing tone. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

Elena looked at Dean, wondering if he was going to react to the obvious insult to his father. Instead she caught sight of him frowning at something as he stood slowly and walked towards it. She followed his eyeline and her eyebrows raised at what he was looking at.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby. I should have called." Sam sighed, not noticing Dean. "I was pretty messed up."

Dean picked up the item he saw, holding the flowered bra in the air for all to see.

"Oh yeah. I really feel your pain." He said sarcastically.

Elena held back her laughter as Bobby shook his head and Sam looked slightly guilty.

"Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here." He said.

"When?" Dean questioned.

Sam glanced at Elena, obviously wondering if they should be talking about it in front of her.

"She's good." Dean said, vouching for her.

Bobby nodded in agreement, much to Elena's surprise. It made everything seem like a super secret society that she'd just been invited to.

"Yesterday morning." Sam answered Dean's initial question.

"Right before I busted out."

"You think these demons are here cause of you?" Bobby wondered.

"But why?" Sam said, looking confused.

"Well, I don't know… some badass demon drags me out and now this?" Dean shrugged. "It's gotta be connected somehow."

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked.

They all looked at Dean to see him thinking for a moment.

"I'm a little hungry."

"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself?" Bobby said. "Anything strange, or different?"

"Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?" Dean demanded.

"Yeah. Well, listen." The older hunter shot back. "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine." Dean sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning. We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help." Sam said.

Dean nodded in agreement before Bobby spoke.

"I know a psychic a few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking." He suggested.

"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot." Dean nodded.

Elena grimaced, wondering exactly how the psychic would be doing anything. Her contact with the spiritual world had not been a walk in the park and she didn't have much of it in the first place.

"I'll be right back." Bobby stood and walked out into the hallway to make the call.

When Dean stood up, Elena did as well. Sam jumped up as well.

"Hey, wait. You probably want this back."

She watched as he reached into his shirt and pulled a cord out, lifting it over his head. Something gold was hanging on the end. Judging by Dean's face as he took it, it was something highly valuable.

"Thanks." Dean breathed, pulling it over his head to allow the amulet to lie over his heart.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam nodded, stepping backwards.

Elena could tell that there was something else that he wanted to say but Dean didn't notice, too busy staring down at his returned possession.

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Sam finally said.

He glanced up, his eyebrows raised.

"What, Hell?" he questioned. "I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

Elena hid her emotions, looking down at her feet. Why would Dean be lying to Sam? She knew that he had to remember something about hell because he remembered her. Still, Sam nodded, accepting the lie.

"Well, thank God for that." he sighed.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom before we go."

Elena's eyes widened slightly as she realized that she was about to be left alone with Sam. They stood in silence for a few moments.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Sam said, breaking the awkward silence. "We just have to be careful."

She nodded with understanding, fumbling with her hands.

"I get it." Elena assured him. "Most people would cut and run at the mention of hell and demons and resurrections."

Sam tilted his head to the side slightly as he stared at her.

"So why aren't you?" he asked.

She smiled slightly, shrugging.

"I guess I've seen to much to be really freaked out."

Sam nodded, looking as though he understood now.

"What was it? Ghost? Shapeshifter?" he questioned.

Elena knew what he was asking. What made her aware of the supernatural world?

"Vampires, mostly. A few werewolves and some witches too."

Sam looked surprised as he glanced at her.

"I hope you won't get too freaked out when I say that demons are about a hundred times worse than all of those put together." He said.

Elena glanced over at him, her eyes slightly widened.

"I think I'm still good." She confirmed.

He nodded.

"You should know what you're getting into if you stick around." he said just before Dean exited the bathroom.

Their conversation cut off as they noticed that he looked pale and slightly frightened.

"You okay?" Sam questioned before Elena could.

"Yeah, just…" Dean glanced up, looking between them. "Hungry. I haven't had a burger in forever."

Sam smiled slightly, nodding at his brother.

"Let's go, then. We can stop for one on the way."

He turned to walk out of the room and Dean let Elena go first before he brought up the rear. When they walked outside of the motel, Bobby was waiting by his car in the parking lot.

"She's about four hours down the Interstate. Try to keep up." He said, smirking at them before facing Elena. "You want to ride with the sane one or the two crazies over there?"

She smiled at his question but didn't get a chance to answer before Dean slung his arm over her shoulders. She shivered slightly at his warmth.

"She doesn't want to ride with you, old man." Dean said, grinning at Bobby. "She wants to be in the fun car."

Elena shot Bobby an apologetic look as Dean steered her away but he was smiling and shaking his head. Dean let go of her in time to catch the keys that Sam threw him.

"I assume you'll want to drive." The younger brother said.

Dean looked at the car in front of them with bright eyes.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" he said, chuckling, running a hand along the trunk lovingly. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

Elena let out a laugh at his behavior and he grinned back at her.

"You're jealous because my baby is prettier than your go-cart." He said, grinning.

She rolled her eyes and refused Sam's offer to ride in the front seat before climbing in the back. Dean climbed in the Impala with a thrilled look. When he caught sight of an iPod plugged into the stereo, he froze and gave it a dirty look. Sam didn't notice, settling into his seat.

"What the hell is that?" Dean demanded, transferring his glare from the hookup to his brother.

"That's an iPod jack." Sam said, trying to hide his smile.

Elena looked between them with an amused look on her face.

"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up." Dean said, shaking his head with disappointment.

"Dean, I thought it was my car." Sam sighed.

Dean scowled at him as he turned the car on. Jason Manns began to play and he looked pained, giving Sam another dirty look.

"Really?" he scoffed.

Sam shrugged innocently and suddenly Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack and tossed it in the backseat, the hookup following it closely as both barely missed Elena. Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his brother's dramatics.

"Here you go, Sam." Elena said, handing him the iPod.

"Thank you." he nodded, shooting a warm smile at her.

When she saw Dean pushing a cassette tape into the radio, a laugh escaped from her mouth. He glanced back at her with raised eyebrows.

"Something funny?" he questioned.

"You're awfully young to be so old fashioned." She said as the sound of Led Zeppelin's greatest hits filled the car.

"If you call a great taste in music old fashioned." Dean shrugged, turning the volume up.

"On cassette tapes?" Elena said, leaning forward. "Yes I do."

She patted his shoulder before leaning back in her seat.

* * *

The ride was mostly silent the whole way. Elena knew that the brothers wanted to discuss something but she also knew that they wouldn't do it with her there. They obviously valued their privacy in their conversations. When they reached the house, all three breathed a sigh of relief as they climbed out of the car. When they walked up to the door behind Bobby, he knocked on it three times. Several moments later, it opened to reveal a brunette woman with a wide smile.

"Bobby!"

"You're a sight for sore eyes." he sighed, smiling at her.

They embraced tightly before she turned and gave Sam and Dean appraising looks.

"So, these the boys?" she questioned.

"Sam and Dean." He nodded. "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

"Hey." Dean nodded at her, smiling charmingly.

"Hi." Sam said a little more awkwardly.

"And this is Elena Gilbert." Pamela said, smiling at her past the others.

They split apart to look at her as the psychic searched her face for something.

"Gilbert?" Bobby questioned, sounding like he was thinking hard about something.

"Yes, that Gilbert." Pamela said. "She looks just like her adoptive father."

Elena stared at her with wide eyes, unable to look at the others. Pamela leaned in close to her and plucked the locket out of her shirt.

"This is a strong bit of magic." she said approvingly. "You have friends in high places."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look as Bobby squinted at the locket. Pamela took the chance as they were distracted for a moment to move closer.

"You need to get out of Illinois as soon as possible." She murmured before turning back to the males.

They were all staring between her and Elena and the locket that was now lying outside of her shirt.

"Dean Winchester." Pamela said, looking him up and down. "Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so." Dean shrugged.

Elena didn't choose to dwell on the fact that they now knew her last name and that Bobby seemed to recognize it, most likely through the hunter world. She knew Dean and Sam's name too as well as Bobby's since his salvage yard was called, 'Singer's Salvage Yard'.

"Come on in." Pamela said, tilting her head to the side.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby questioned as she ushered them inside and closed the door.

"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why." She said, walking into a large room with a table and shelves of charms, statues, and other trinkets.

"So what's next?" The oldest male asked.

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

Elena's blood ran cold at the mention of the ritual. She quickly backed up, not wanting to have anything to do with it.

"Elena?" Dean questioned.

"I'm not… I don't like séances." She mumbled.

"That piece of magic you did with Emily Bennett was child's play compared to the real thing. You won't want to miss it." Pamela said, winking at her.

Elena really wished that she would stop telling her things that she wasn't supposed to know.

"Well you're not gonna... summon the damn thing here." Bobby said, sounding uncertain as well.

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal." Pamela reassured him.

"I'm game." Dean said, eager to find out what pulled him out of hell.

* * *

Elena stared around with uncertainty as they sat around a table with six candles lit and a pentagram drawn on the tablecloth.

"Right. Take each other's hands." Pamela instructed them with a nod.

Elena slid her hand into Dean and Sam's, wanting to be anywhere but there at the moment. A bad feeling was spreading through her, every instinct screaming at her not to allow this to happen.

"Are you sure there isn't another way?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"It'll be fine." Pamela said confidently. "I can do this in my sleep."

Elena didn't feel any more confident.

"I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." Pamela said.

Dean suddenly jumped, his knee slamming into the table and shaking everything on it. When Elena saw Pamela's sparkling eyes and her hand withdrawing from his thigh, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, he didn't touch me there." Dean managed to say.

"My mistake." The psychic shrugged.

Dean glanced around at them before sliding off his outer shirt and pulling the sleeve of his t-shirt up to reveal the handpring branded into his skin. Sam gaped at it but Pamela simply pressed her hand over it.

"Okay." She said.

They all closed their eyes, Elena taking a deep shuddering breath as Pamela began to chant.

"I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle." She said, continuously repeating the phrase. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."

A television flicked on and static filled their ears. Elena fought the urge to break the connection as her heart pounded in her chest.

_Stop her. Stop her._

Her mind urged her to do something.

"_Stop her."_

The voice that echoed in her head was deeper this time, taking her by surprise as she jumped in her seat.

"Pamela. You have to stop." She whimpered, the deep voice repeating the words in her head.

"I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel?" Pamela broke off as she said the name.

For some reason, Elena felt as though she recognized the name. It sounded like something she'd known all her life, like someone she'd been waiting to meet for years.

"No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"_Stop her!" _the voice commanded her.

"Castiel." Elena whispered.

"Castiel?" Dean questioned, looking at Pamela with a furrowed brow.

"Its name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back." Pamela said as the ground began to shake and a ringing began to sound.

"I conjure and command you, show me your face." Pamela repeated over and over again.

"You have to stop!" Elena yelled, the voice in her head becoming so persistent that her head was beginning to throb.

"I almost got it." Pamela refused. "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

A bright white light suddenly filled Elena's vision and her eyes flew open. The flames on the candles were flaring up several feet into the air as Pamela let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her eyes opened as well and the same light that Elena saw in her mind was flowing through Pamela's eye sockets. Suddenly she collapsed to the side and the noise and shaking all ceased. Dean and Bobby kneeled beside Pamela as she sobbed in pain.

"Call 9-1-1!" Bobby yelled at Sam.

He scrambled out of his chair and darted into the next room to grab his phone. Elena's chest heaved, her eyes wide as she processed what just happened. When she looked around the table unwillingly, horror filled her mind when she saw the empty eye sockets where Pamela's sparkling eyes used to be.

"I can't see! I can't see! Oh god!" she wailed.

They distantly heard Sam calling for an ambulance.

* * *

Elena was staring at the table, barely listening as Dean ordered food and Sam spoke to Bobby on the phone a few feet away.

"For you?" the waitress questioned, looking at her.

"Just a glass of water." She said quietly, glancing up.

Dean looked at her with a worried expression.

"Add a plate of fries to that." he said.

Elena frowned at him as the waitress wrote it down.

"Be up in a jiff." She said before turning to walk off.

"Why did you do that?" Elena questioned.

"It'll help." Dean replied.

Sam walked up and sat down as he hung up with Bobby.

"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked, looking concerned.

"Pam's stable. And out of ICU." He informed them.

"And blind, because of us." Dean said darkly, sitting back and glaring down at his hands.

"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with." Sam said, sounding equally frustrated and angry.

"That's not entirely true." Elena said, remembering the deep voice echoing in her head.

"No?" Sam questioned, staring at her.

"We have a name." she said, glancing between them.

Dean nodded in agreement.

"Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us." He suggested.

"You're crazy. Absolutely not." Sam said, shaking his head.

"We'll work him over." Dean pressed. "I mean, after what he did?"

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?" Sam demanded.

Elena didn't want to tell them that she saw the same light that possibly blinded Pamela. She didn't really think it would be good to tell two hunters that she was still seeing fine after the being blinded the psychic.

"You got a better idea?" Dean shot back.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?" Sam said.

"Okay." The older brother nodded, listening.

"So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something."

At that moment, the waitress walked to their table with their order. Elena looked at the plate of fries, deciding that she was hungry. As soon as she dispensed the pie and drinks, the woman plopped down in the fourth seat. They all stared at her, Dean raising his eyebrows and smirking.

"You angling for a tip?"

"I'm sorry. Thought you were looking for us." She said.

Her eyes suddenly turned completely black. Elena gasped and sat up straight, forgetting about her hunger. Dean and Sam were looking around at the other people in the diner only to see that they had the same eyes.

"Dean." The waitress said, her eyes going back to normal. "To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck?"

"That's me." Dean replied to her.

Elena suddenly remembered that Dean mentioned black eyes when he talked about demons. A cold chill ran down her spine when she realized they were surrounded by them.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?" the demon demanded, sounding a little bit angry.

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples." Dean said, looking amused at himself.

Elena glanced at Sam to see him rolling his eyes. The waitress simply glared at Dean.

"I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out." he said honestly.

"Right. You don't." she said doubtfully.

"No. I don't." he repeated.

"Lying's a sin, you know." She hissed.

"I'm not lying. But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo." He said, sitting back casually.

"Mind your tone with me, boy." She growled. "I'll drag you back to hell myself."

Sam suddenly shifted, his hand going to his jacket as if he would draw a weapon to attack. Dean held a hand up and he stopped, settling back into his seat.

"No, you won't." Dean said, sounding as though he was testing her.

"No?" she said, squinting at him.

"No. Because if you were you would have done it already."

Elena's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to read the demon's face. "Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers."

The demon remained quietly, swallowing audibly as they stared at her.

"Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose." Dean snapped.

Fury flashed through her eyes as she leaned forward slightly.

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs." She threatened quietly.

Dean leaned forward, a challenge clear in his eyes. When he suddenly punched her, Elena jumped and watched with wide eyes. The demon did nothing, sitting there staring at them. Dean punched her again, trying to rile her up. Still, she did nothing but glare at them, a nervous glint in her eyes along with the anger.

"That's what I thought. Let's go."

They all stood slowly, Elena stepping away from the seat.

"We may not be able to touch you but she's not off limits." The demon finally spoke again.

Elena looked at her with wide eyes.

"There isn't anything keeping us from taking your precious little doppelganger and having our fun with her."

Shivers ran across her skin as Dean and Sam both stepped in front of her protectively. They looked surprised at the label that the demon put on Elena but didn't say anything about it at the moment.

"Try it." Sam growled, pulling a large knife out.

"We'll get our hands on her eventually." The demon promised them. "We've got her scent now."

Dean stepped away, tossing a few dollar bills on the counter before putting a hand on Elena's back to steer her away.

"For the pie." He growled, nodding at the money.

They hurried out, Sam and Dean ensuring that Elena was hidden from view as they almost ran to the street.

"Holy crap, that was close." Dean said as they rushed towards the Impala.

"We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?" Sam demanded.

"Well yeah, there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us." Dean replied, nodding at the dagger that Sam was holding.

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately." Sam said.

"Not anymore… the smarter brother's back in town." Dean said, unlocking the Impala.

Elena was barely listening, her mind on the words that the demon spoke. Why would they be after her? She didn't even know about demons until a few days ago.

"Dean, we've got to take 'em. They are dangerous." Sam tried to convince him.

"They're scared. Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad fucker here. One job at a time." Dean said, an air of finality in his voice.

* * *

When Elena walked out of the bathroom in a pair of loose sweatpants and a tank top after taking a shower, Sam and Dean were sitting on separate beds and discussing the demons while looking through large, old books that Bobby brought. She sat on the couch where she was going to sleep and turned to look at them as she crossed her arms on the back of the couch and rested her head on them.

"Demons… they're really bad?" she questioned, knowing she sounded ridiculous but she had a reason for pursuing this conversation.

"Just about the worse thing out there and we've seen some pretty bad things." Sam informed her patiently.

Elena hesitated, thinking on it.

"I've met the most powerful vampire in existence as well as his brother. They're… strong and fast and pretty much immortal. I usually measure danger against them these days. So tell me, oldest vampires in the world versus demons… how bad?" she asked.

Dean and Sam exchanged looks, wondering how in the world she would come in contact with any vampires who claimed to be the oldest in the world.

"I've never met a vampire that's as bad as a demon. I've never met ten vampires that can measure up to a demon." He said honestly.

Elena bit her lip, glancing down as she figured that out in her mind. Klaus was the worse thing she knew. If there was something worse out there, she wasn't sure that she wanted to spend an extended period of time under its nose.

"So if whatever raised you out of hell is a big boss demon, how would you go about stopping it?" Elena questioned.

The brothers glanced up at each other before looking at her.

"We have no idea." Dean said.

Elena grew silent again, thinking about it. Ten minutes later, her mind had wandered far. She wanted to ask them questions without seeming to be prying. While she tried to figure out how, Sam looked up at her with a curious look.

"What did that demon mean when it called you a doppelganger?"

Elena's eyes widened and she swallowed hard, turning her face away.

"It's, uh…" she shook her head. "It's just this thing. Throughout my ancestry, there are several women who look exactly the same. I mean down to the last hair. Everyone says doppelganger because that's the closest thing there is to explaining it."

"You're one of those women." Dean said.

"Yeah." She nodded. "A witch cursed my family with it a really long time ago."

She couldn't bring herself to delve into her history with Klaus. First of all, she'd only known these men for a few days. Second of all, there was always the chance that they wouldn't believe her.

"Freaking witches." She heard Dean mutter.

"Is that how you know about vampires?" Sam questioned.

Elena looked up at him with surprise.

"One of the lookalikes is a vampire. She's not the only one that I knew. My life was kind of filled with them for a while."

Dean frowned over at her.

"Your dad didn't ever do anything about that? I thought he was a hunter."

Elena felt a stab of sadness as she glanced away.

"No." she said, shaking her head. "He never got the chance."

They both looked at her strangely, quickly deciphering her words but only growing more confused. Elena sighed and bgan picking at her fingernails.

"My parents died a little over a year ago." she finally admitted.

They grew silent and she looked up to see them exchanging solemn looks.

"I'm sorry about that." Sam said.

She shrugged, forcing a smile onto her face that didn't belong.

"Was it hunting?" Dean questioned.

"Car crash." Elena said, shaking her head.

Dean nodded, considering the information. Elena glanced over at him, deciding that she'd told them enough so that now she could ask them something.

"How did you get into hunting?" she asked.

They both looked at her with questioning looks and Elena sighed, sitting up straighter.

"My father and uncle inherited it from the family, following in their footsteps and all. A good friend of mine got into it because a vampire killed his wife. So family and tragedy, that's how the hunters I've known have gotten into it. So… what about you two?"

By the looks on their faces, Elena had to wonder if she'd gone too far.

"Both." Sam finally said when Dean nodded at him.

Elena turned around when it seemed that they wouldn't say anymore. She considered their answer, wondering how both family and tragedy led to their choice to hunt monsters. She went to sleep with this on her mind, unaware of the blanket that was laid over her by the older Winchester brother.

* * *

Elena jerked up, her chest heaving as she stared around the dark room. Dean was dozing on his bed with a book spread over his lap. Sam's bed was empty. The echoes of her dream sounded in her head, the deep voice from the séance yelling at her as she tried to run in pitch darkness.

"Dean?" she questioned, slowly standing up on shaky legs. "Dean!"

She wanted to get his attention. It was too late at night not to be suspicious of Sam's absence. Before Elena could say another word, the television flickered on and the room was filled with the white noise of static. She knew what it meant by now, panic rising in her chest.

"Dean!" she almost yelled.

He was up within moments, pulling a shotgun out from underneath his pillow and pointing at the door as he stood up. The ringing grew louder and louder until they were both clutching at their heads with grimaces on their faces. When the first window shattered, Elena glanced up. Then her eyes rose to the ceiling, horror filling her when she saw the mirror that was used as tile for the ceiling. Without thinking too hard, she grasped the blanket that was over her and practically leapt over the couch.

"Dean!" She yelled as the second window shattered and the ground quaked.

Just as the mirrors above them began cracking, she made it to his side. Dean dragged her the ground as she threw the blanket over them. His arms wrapped around her and he hovered over her, shielding her as the glass began raining down on them. It didn't all help, small pieces of glass still piercing their arms and faces. They both yelled in pain at the intense ringing. When the door slammed open, they looked up to see Bobby standing there with a panicked look on his face as the ringing ceased suddenly and everything stopped.

* * *

Dean and Elena were both in the backseat, their clothes thrown on sloppily as they were in a hurry before leaving. Elena was using Bobby's first-aid kit to wipe Dean's bloody face off. He had a small cut on his forehead and another on his cheek. He was doing the same to a cut on her arm. They both looked worse for wear from the glass that had rained down on them.

"How you doin', kids?" Bobby questioned, looking in his rearview mirror.

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy." Dean growled, sounding angry.

"I'm fine." Elena murmured, putting a bandage over Dean's cut as he did the same to her arm.

When they drew away from each other, he pulled out his phone and began dialing a number. Elena could hear the ringing on the other end and when Sam answered she heard his voice.

"Hey." He said.

"What are you doing?" Dean demanded.

"Couldn't sleep, went to get a burger." Sam replied, sounding almost too casual.

"In my car?"

"Force of habit, sorry. What are you doing up?" Sam questioned.

"Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer."

Elena and Bobby both looked at him with shocked looks but Dean held up a finger.

"All right, well, uh, spill some for me, huh?" Sam said on the other end, sounding like he believed Dean.

"Done. Catch you later." He nodded before hanging up.

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby questioned.

"Because he'd just tried to stop us." Dean said, climbing over the backseat to get in the front.

"From what?" Elena asked, leaning forward.

"Summoning this thing." Dean answered.

Bobby looked even more surprised but Elena considered his words and found that she agreed.

"It's time we faced it head-on." Dean said before Bobby could yell.

"You can't be serious!" he still shouted.

"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby." Dean shrugged.

"Well, we don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything." Bobby argued.

"That's why we've got to be ready for anything." Dean pulled out the dagger that Sam had at the diner. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk."

"This is a bad idea." Bobby warned.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?" Dean replied.

"We could choose life." the older hunter fired back.

"Bobby, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me and maybe even Elena. That much we know, right? We've got no place to hide. WE can either get caught with our pants down again, or we can make our stand." Dean said.

Bobby remained quiet for a few moments before speaking again.

"Dean, we could use Sam on this." he sighed.

Elena glanced at Dean, wondering whether he would change his mind and include his brother.

"Nah, he's better off where he is." Dean said, shaking his head.

* * *

The diner was completely dark as he snuck in but he knew that the demons might still be hanging around. A song was playing on the jukebox, which made him even more suspicious. When he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind the counter, he crept up to the body and turned it over to see the cook from earlier that had been possessed. His eyes were burned out just like Pamela's had been except this time, he was dead. Sam sighed, standing up. Suddenly something hit his body hard and tackled him to the ground.

He recovered quickly, aiming a punch at the waitress and throwing her off of him. They fought for several more minutes, her hair hanging in her face. When he punched her and she staggered backwards, Sam saw that her eyes were burned out as well. Her head whipped around wildly, looking terrified.

"Your eyes." Sam gasped.

"I can still smell your soul a mile away." She growled.

"It was here. You saw it." he said, realizing that whatever was after his brother had come after the demons here.

She let out a sob, shaking her head.

"I saw it."

"What was it?" Sam demanded.

"It's the end. We're dead. We're all dead." The demon whimpered, sounding pathetic.

"What did you see?" he insisted.

"Go to hell." She snapped at him, not willing to answer his questions anymore.

Sam pulled himself up to full height, glaring at her.

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing to you."

He held his hand up as he planted his feet and shut his eyes in concentration. She heaved and suddenly black smoke began pouring out of her mouth and into the ground that crackled and burned with the demon smoke that was pouring through it. Finally, her body collapsed to the ground and she was still. When he opened his eyes, he walked towards her and bent down, taking her pulse. When he felt nothing, he sighed in disappointment.

"Dammit." He said, straightening up.

The kitchen door opened and the woman from his motel room came out, fully dressed this time. Sam glanced up, not at all surprised to see her.

"Getting pretty slick there, Sam. Better all the time." she said with a smirk.

"What the hell is going on around here, Ruby?" he questioned.

"I wish I knew." She said, looking down at the corpse.

"We were thinking some high level demon pulled Dean out." Sam suggested.

"No way. Sam, human souls don't just walk out of Hell and back into their bodies easy. The sky bleeds, the ground quakes. It's cosmic. No demon can swing that. Not Lilith, not anybody." Ruby said, seriousness taking over her face.

"Then what can?" Sam questioned.

"Nothing I've ever seen before." she said, sounding slightly afraid.

* * *

Elena leaned against the table in the middle of the old barn, looking around with raised eyebrows.

"You trying to set up a horror movie situation here?" she questioned.

They both glanced at her and she shrugged, looking away as Bobby used spray paint to draw a sigil on the wall. The entire barn walls were covered as far as he could reach, every single type of symbol that he could find drawn on. Dean was pulling out weapons beside her, placing them all on the table.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there." he said, glancing up at the walls.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you doin?" Bobby asked.

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of." Dean said.

"What about vervain?" Elena asked.

"Vervain?" Bobby and Dean questioned, confused.

She glanced between them before reaching into her purse that was slung over her shoulder. She handed Dean the vervain dart that she kept in there at all times.

"It stops vampires." She said. "I don't know if it'll help but…"

"I've never heard of it." Dean cut her off. "Bobby?"

He was squinting at Elena.

"When you say you've come across vampires, those vampires don't happen to wear nice shiny rings, do they?"

Elena nodded, confused.

"Oh hell." He grumbled. "I thought those kind were extinct."

"Those kind? What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"There are two different kinds of vampires. The ones we know and, apparently, the ones she knows. I thought the other ones had been eradicated by hunters. Apparently I was wrong."

Elena looked at him, trying to find an explanation.

"They're very careful. They know that hunters exist and they work hard to ensure that they are not known. It helps that some of them can walk in the sunlight."

"So this other kind of vampires… how are they killed?" Dean asked.

"Sunlight, stakes, heart removal. Vervain is an herb that weakens them." Elena said, thinking of Elijah.

"Back to the issue at hand, we'll discuss those later." Bobby said, placing the vervain dart from Elena on the table with the other weapons. "Thanks for the vervain."

She nodded at him before backing up once more. As Bobby gathered the supplies for the summoning spell, he glanced up at Dean with a hesitant look.

"This is still a bad idea." He spoke.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times." Dean nodded, watching as Elena sat on the table where there was an empty space. "What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

Bobby nodded reluctantly before pinching some powder in his fingers. He sprinkled it into a bowl as he spoke Latin. It began to smoke and Elena felt a strange sort of anticipation as she watched the door. Dean pushed an iron bar into her hands, nodding at her silently. She nodded back, holding it tightly.

* * *

Sam slid into the booth, sitting across from Ruby. It was clear that she wanted to discuss something.

"So. Million dollar question, are you going to tell Dean about what we're doing?" the demon asked.

"Yeah, I just gotta figure out the right way to say it." he nodded.

Ruby gave him a look, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Look, I just need time, okay? That's all." Sam sighed.

"Sam, he's going to find out, and if it's not from you he's going to be pissed." Ruby argued.

"He's going to be pissed anyway." Sam said. "I mean, he's so hardheaded about this psychic stuff he'll just try and stop me."

Ruby considered his words for a moment.

"Look. Maybe I'll just take a step back for a while." she decided.

"Ruby, you..." Sam began.

"I mean, I'm not exactly in your brother's fanclub." Ruby cut him off. "But he is your brother, and I'm not going to come between you."

"I don't know if what I'm doing is right. Hell, I don't even know if I trust you." Sam said, rubbing his forehead.

"Thanks." she said, frowning at him.

Sam ignored her, shaking his head.

"But what I do know is that I'm saving people. And stopping demons. And that feels good. I want to keep going." He said, looking passionate about it.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Speaking of Dean, the girl who's with him… you need to be careful, Sam."

He looked up at her with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't know who she is but demons are whispering, they know something's different about her. She's important, Sam. And when people are important, the demons tend to want to get their hands on them. So be careful. They'll come after her eventually."

He remained silent, absorbing her words in his head.

* * *

Elena was fiddling with the bar in her hands, kicking her legs back and forth. Dean and Bobby were both seated on the tables as well, looking as bored as she was. Dean was twirling the special knife in his hand. He finally sighed and glanced up at the other hunter.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" he questioned.

Bobby gave him a look and Dean shrugged.

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

Elena smiled slightly and went back to turning the bar over in her hands. Suddenly a loud rattling shook the roof and caused the rafters to quiver. They all glanced up and Dean and Bobby both leapt off of the tables. Elena jumped off slower, looking at the doors on the opposite end of the barn. Dean and Bobby both picked up shotguns to arm themselves as they placed themselves in front of her.

"Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind." Dean said.

As soon as he said it, the lights above them began exploding. They all ducked and squeezed their eyes shut, afraid of getting sparks in them. They heard a great creaking and they all looked up to see the large, thick wooden plank across it bending until it broke in two and the doors bursted open. Elena peered around Dean, her brow furrowing in confusion as she saw a man walking in with a business suit and a tan trenchcoat on. He had messy dark hair and a eerily calm face as he walked towards them amidst the still exploding lights.

Dean and Bobby began firing off their shotguns that were filled with salt rounds, as they'd explained to Elena earlier. They had no effect on him, just tearing his trenchcoat. He continued to walk towards them at a steady pace, his eyes fixed on Dean and flickering back to Elena as well. When he reached them, he turned to face Dean as the hunter reached back towards the table.

"Who are you?" Dean growled, picking up the knife.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." The man said, his voice deep and gravelly and all too familiar to Elena.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Dean said sarcastically, launching forward to bury the knife in his chest.

The man didn't even move, looking down at the knife without concern before pulling it out slowly and dropping it to the floor. Bobby looked at Dean with alarm before pulling the iron bar out of Elena's hands. He stepped forward and swung it at the being's head. Castiel caught it without looking, turning to stare at Bobby before pressing two fingers to his head and causing him to collapse to the ground, unconscious. Elena darted forward automatically to help him but was stopped by Castiel turning to look at her. Dean grasped her arm and pulled her towards him, backing away from the being slowly.

"We need to talk, Dean, Elena." he nodded at them. "Alone."

Dean glared at him, inching them both past him as they looked down at Bobby. Elena knelt beside the hunter and took his pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt that it was steady.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Dean demanded, crouching over him as well.

The being picked up a book, looking unconcerned as he flipped through it.

"Your friend's alive." He assured them.

"Who are you?" Dean demanded, straightening up.

Elena stood as well, standing just behind him.

"Castiel." He answered, not looking up at them.

Elena stared at him with wide eyes, wondering why he seemed so familiar to her.

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?"

Castiel finally glanced up at them.

"I'm an Angel of the Lord." He said solemnly.

She let out a small gasp, her heart speeding up as she wondered if she was really facing an angel.

"Get the hell out of here." Dean growled, less willing to believe. "There's no such thing."

"Dean, I think…" Elena started to step forward but he pulled her back again, stepping slightly in front of her.

"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Castiel said.

Suddenly thunder rolled above them and Castiel rolled his shoulders back, lifting his head up. As lightning flashed, two great shadowed wings appeared on the wall behind Castiel. They watched with wide eyes, Dean with disbelief and Elena with wonder. Suddenly it all stopped and Castiel looked at them with a vague hint of triumph in his eyes. Elena fought the urge to walk to him. All she wanted to do was touch him, to ensure that he was real.

"Some angel you are." Dean snapped, not at all mesmerized by him as she was. "You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

Castiel looked slightly guilty, glancing down as he sighed.

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that." he said, glancing back up at them.

"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Dean questioned.

Castiel nodded once.

"Buddy, next time, lower the volume." Dean said.

"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong." He informed Dean, his eyes fixed on the hunter.

"And what visage are you in now, huh?" Dean asked. "What, holy tax accountant?"

"This?" Castiel glanced down, touching the trenchcoat. "This is... a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean demanded, sounding horrified and angry.

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this." he answered.

Dean narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything else. Elena stepped forward, shrugging off his hold on her arm.

"Pamela's house." She breathed.

The angel nodded, his striking blue eyes on her now. She found herself almost transfixed by him.

"I heard you… in my head." Elena said.

"I was speaking to you. I wanted you to stop the psychic." He replied.

Elena had a feeling about something and she had to ask him.

"Did you lead me here? Did you guide me to Dean?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Why?" Elena questioned.

Before he could answer, Dean spoke up again, stepping forward.

"I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?" he demanded.

Castiel frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"I told you." he said, confused as to why Dean didn't believe him.

"Dean I believe him." Elena breathed, still staring at the angel.

"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?" the hunter demanded.

Castiel stepped forward and Dean stepped back, pulling Elena with him. Soon she was trapped between them, her back pressed against Dean's chest as Castiel stepped uncomfortably close. She fought the urge to cite her personal space and remained quiet.

"Good things do happen, Dean." The angel said.

"Not in my experience." Dean replied, sounding bitter and furious.

"What's the matter?" Castiel furrowed his brow as he stared into Dean's eyes. "You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

Elena let out a light gasp, wondering if that was truly the reason. Castiel's words were all but confirmed when Dean didn't answer his question.

"Why'd you do it?" he questioned, wanting a straight answer.

Castiel backed up a step, lifting his head high.

"Because God commanded it." he said, his words ringing with importance. "Because we have work for you, both of you."

Dean opened his mouth to say something else but the sound of wings flapping echoed around them and the angel was suddenly gone. Elena and Dean remained frozen, unable to really process what just happened.

* * *

**Please review! It helps me so much when you do! Thank you to everyone who is reading, you are all my favorite people in the whole world!**

**Chapter Preview: Before they can travel back to Sioux Falls, Pamela calls Elena with a warning, telling her to stay far away from Chicago. When she learns that Klaus is there with Stefan, she makes a decision that has consequences.**


	4. I'm Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to purpleshampoo, RHatch89, animagirl, Roswell Triquetra, KwC1994, xxPaige23xx, highlander348, LineChokor, and taylena4ever for reviewing!**

**To highlander348, I have no idea how many words the story was. It was separated into three parts and I was into the fourth part when I stopped writing it. It was definitely a lot of words and I plan on it being even more when I'm done. I am planning on Sam having a romance but I'm not sure about the details yet. Elena is eighteen right now and yes, Katherine will be showing up (sooner than you think).**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Say Something – A Great Big World**

**A few things:**

**1. This chapter is where things start changing more from the previous version of the story. Just pay attention and you'll see it.**

**2. Sam is kind of a dick in this chapter but he gets better after this, I promise. I just wanted to show him having residual problems from being with Ruby for four months.**

**3. You'll see several very familiar faces later on, one of them will probably make you very happy.**

**4. Elena's outfit is on my profile.**

**5. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

Elena hurried out of the building, holding the two heavy duffel bags full of weapons and books. She threw them in the back of Bobby's trunk before turning back to see Dean hauling the older hunter out of the barn. Elena opened the back door, helping him lay Bobby down in it. He was barely stirring, nonsense mumbles coming out of his mouth.

"Should we take him to a hospital?" Elena questioned as he closed the door.

"Nah." Dean sighed, taking the keys from her. "He'll be fine."

They drove back to the motel and Elena went ahead of Dean. When she opened the door, they both stared in shock as they saw that the room was completely clear of broken glass.

"What the…" Dean trailed off, dropping Bobby onto the bed.

"It must have been Castiel." She murmured, looking up to see that the mirrors on the ceiling were all back to normal.

Dean didn't say anything, moving away from the bed where Bobby was lying.

"It's the least he could do." He finally grumbled, turning to walk into the bathroom.

Elena heard the shower start up moments later and she sighed, sitting on the other bed. She thought through it all. If Castiel was really an angel, and she believed that he was, then it was strange to think that he was most likely watching her for the past few months. Instead of being afraid or bothered, Elena felt elated. Angels existed. It wasn't just vampires and demons and werewolves. It wasn't just things that wanted to kill and destroy. Angels were real and they were here. The thought almost made her smile. Suddenly the piercing sound of Bobby's phone filled the air. He sat up suddenly, causing Elena to jump as he dug his phone out.

"Hello?" he grunted groggily.

Elena stared at him warily as he swayed on the spot.

"Pamela?" he questioned, looking more alert.

She perked up at the name.

"How are you…" Bobby cut off, obviously listening to her talk. "Who the hell is Klaus?"

Elena's was standing up before she knew it. A chill ran down her spine as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Bobby looked up at her and he was handed her the phone.

"Pamela?" she questioned in a quiet voice.

"Listen to me, you need to get out of Illinois. Klaus is in Chicago and he has eyes everywhere. Go back to Sioux Falls with Bobby and the boys. You're not safe." Pamela said, sounding groggy and drugged but still insistent.

"He's in Chicago?" Elena murmured, her mind racing.

"I know what you're thinking and you can't go. Stefan isn't himself and you'll just be putting yourself in danger. Elena listen to me…."

"Sorry Pamela." She said. "I have to go."

She hung up the phone and turned to grab her bag.

"Elena what was that about?" Bobby asked.

She didn't answer, throwing things into the backpack before grabbing her purse. The phone rang again and Bobby answered it.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Pamela must have said something because in the next moment, he was staggering to his feet and blocking her way to the door. Elena stared at him with wide eyes as he hung up the phone.

"You're going after a vampire?" he demanded.

"Get out of the way, Bobby." She said, clutching at her backpack that was slung over her shoulder.

"You gotta know that's a stupid thing to do." He argued.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion!" Elena said loudly.

The door to the bathroom opened and Dean came out with jeans slung low on his hips and no shirt on.

"What the hell's going on?" he questioned, seeing them facing each other.

"Elena's going after some vampire in Chicago by herself." Bobby said.

Elena sighed heavily and shook her head.

"Yeah, I am. And you have no business stopping me." she said, moving to pass him.

Bobby blocked her way again and she let out an agitated noise.

"What are you thinking?" Dean demanded, obviously on Bobby's side.

"What are you thinking?" she countered, turning back to face him. "Why are you all of the sudden allowed to tell me where I can and can't go?"

Dean raised his eyebrows at her.

"We said we were going to stick together until we figured out what was going on." he reminded her.

"I have been waiting for four months to get this piece of information. Someone I care about is in a bad place and I need to go help him. You can't stop me from doing that."

At that moment, the door opened and Sam walked in. He stared at them, looking as though he was stunned to see them all standing there and obviously in the middle of a confrontation.

"What's going on?" he asked.

None of them answered, Elena glaring at Dean as he stared back at her.

"Just stick around tonight." He tried to convince her. "Tomorrow we'll all go to Chicago that way you'll have backup. It can wait, right?"

Elena took a deep breath, turning away from them all to walk back to the couch. Dean breathed a sigh of relief and quickly launched forward to catch Bobby as he swayed.

"What the hell?" Sam questioned.

Dean looked up at him before glancing at Elena where she was sitting and glaring at the wall.

"Yeah we have to talk." He said.

* * *

As soon as Sam quit snapping at Dean and Bobby for going to summon Castiel without him, they all settled down. At first, she could tell that they were wondering if one of them should remain awake to ensure that she didn't leave in the middle of the night. When she shot them a glare telling them exactly what she thought of that idea, they all gave it up. Elena found it easy to pretend to sleep, her mind racing as she calculated exactly how she would find Klaus and Stefan. Bobby was in one of the beds and Sam was in the other. Dean was in the chair with his head leaned against the back of it. They were all snoring softly, signaling her that they were fast asleep. When she got up, Elena silently changed out of her pajamas and into normal clothes. She crept past Dean with her bags and grabbed Bobby's keys off of the nightstand.

The door was a bit harder to get past, creaking as she opened it. Sam shifted in his sleep but didn't wake up. As Elena slowly pulled the door closed, it locked into place with a loud click that had her wincing. She dashed towards the car, throwing the bags into the backseat. As soon as she was behind the wheel, she started the car and drove out of the parking lot as fast as she could, programming the way to Chicago in her phone as she sped down the dark road. Her heart pounded and she glanced in her rearview mirror, prepared to see a black Impala following her. There was nothing. Her eyes kept returning to look back for the drive, relieved to see that three angry hunters didn't follow her.

* * *

It didn't take long to get there and the sun was just rising when she pulled into the outskirts of the city. Elena headed straight for downtown, guessing that that would be the place to start. Once she was deep into the tall skyscrapers, she pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road and climbed out, pulling her purse out and locking the car. The city was filling up very slowly with people going about their business and heading to work. Elena knew that she had a limited amount of time before Dean, Sam, and Bobby would catch up with the stolen car. She'd already seen that he could find Sam by his cell phone and was certain that they had ways of tracking license plates.

After walking for about an hour, Elena was tired, sitting on a bench and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. The people passed by her without even glancing at her, sure that she was just another person. When a shadow fell over her, Elena looked up and jumped to her feet at the face looking back at her.

"I almost didn't believe it." Katherine said, looking her up and down. "How did you shake Damon off long enough to come here?"

Elena glared at her, her hand reaching into her bag and enclosing around the vervain dart that she still had.

"It's true, then." She said, knowing for certain that Pamela was right since Katherine was there. "Klaus is here."

Katherine smirked at her, looking amused.

"If you came here to stage some fantastic rescue mission for Stefan, I'd hate to disappoint you. Actually, who am I kidding? I would love to disappoint you. He doesn't want to be rescued. He's having a great time with his old buddy. They're catching up, reliving their past adventures. It's all very sickening." She said, rolling her eyes.

Elena stared at her with confusion.

"Klaus and Stefan has met before?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes they have. Not that he would remember. Klaus has a tricky way of erasing people's memories when he leaves town. Sometimes he wants them to remember him and sometimes he would rather them forget. It's how he keeps under the radar and how over half of the vampire world has no idea he or his family exists."

Elena didn't know whether to believe Katherine or not. The vampire hadn't been exactly trustworthy before, despite her lineage connection to Elena.

"Where are they?" she asked.

Katherine shook her head with a scoff, reaching into her own purse. She produced a piece of paper with two addresses on it.

"These are the only two places they go. I can't promise which one of them they'll presently be visiting. Have a good time." she said, turning to walk away.

"Why should I believe that this is real?" Elena demanded.

Katherine turned back to look at her, amusement in her eyes.

"There's nothing I want to see more than you killed, Elena. Sending you to Klaus is the best way to make sure that happens." She shrugged.

"He didn't kill me the first time around." Elena replied.

"A mistake I'm sure he'll be quick to fix." Katherine said. "See you on the other side."

Elena lifted her head, feeling strength in her heart that forced her to speak the next words.

"If I die, you die too. Because I'll make sure my last breath is letting Klaus know that you're here in Chicago. I'm sure he'll find you quickly. He has eyes everywhere." she said, repeating Pamela's words.

Katherine stopped short, turning slowly to glare at her. The vampire looked as though she wanted to attack but a large group of people passed by at that moment.

"You'll barely take a breath before Klaus will have your heart in his hand." She said dismissively though there was still a hint of fear in her eyes. "I'm not too worried."

Elena watched as she walked away, holding the paper tightly in her hand as she took a deep, shaky breath.

* * *

Sam fidgeted in the backseat as they hurtled down the road. Dean looked furious and Bobby looked worried. When he took a deep breath, his brother glanced back at him through the rearview mirror.

"What is it, Sam?" he asked.

He hesitated, the only thing pushing him to speak were Ruby's words back in the diner.

"Are you sure we should be going after her?" he questioned.

Dean and Bobby both turned and looked at him with matching glares.

"I know, we protect people but… she's dealt with vampires before and her father was a hunter. Obviously she knows how to handle herself. After what the demons said in the diner before, I'm wondering if it maybe isn't safer for her away from us." He said.

"The demons get a scent and they don't let it go." Dean argued. "They'll go after her whether she's with us or not. We know how to handle it so she's safer with us. And since when do we leave people to be massacred by vampires? What the hell happened to you while I was gone?"

Sam remained quiet, surprised at his brother's defense of Elena and his anger at Sam's suggestion.

"You're right." he agreed, feeling ridiculous that he'd allowed Ruby's warning to sway him away from helping Elena out.

Dean took a deep breath, shaking his head to quell his anger. The rest of the ride was silent and uncomfortable. Even Bobby didn't dare to speak.

* * *

Elena got out of the car and walked up to the bar slowly, reading the illuminated sign. She hesitated, glancing around before walking in. A woman was behind the counter polishing glasses but no one else was there. Her eyes lifted and Elena thought that she saw recognition in them for a moment.

"Place is closed." She said simply.

"I know, I'm just looking for someone." Elena said.

"I know exactly who you're looking for." The woman said.

She stared at her with surprise before glancing around.

"Are-are you Gloria?" Elena said, referring to the name on the bar's sign.

"Yep. And you're Elena. You really shouldn't be here." She said, putting the glass up before walking out from behind the counter. "You have no reason to listen to me, but I'm still gonna tell you this. Walk your skinny ass out of here and drive out of Chicago. Don't stop driving until you're out of the state. Because if Klaus gets his hands on you, it's going to be over. Now out."

Elena stared at her with shock and the woman raised her eyebrows. She turned, stumbling towards the door. With one last glance back at the bar owner and possible psychic, Elena left the bar. When she climbed into the car, she glanced down at the paper at the second address. With a deep breath and her mind telling her to follow Gloria's instructions, Elena programmed the address into her phone. When she pulled up about an hour later due to traffic and the fact that it was out of the downtown area, Elena was surprised to see that it was a warehouse. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that Stefan would be there so that Klaus wouldn't be able to get to her so easily.

As soon as she stepped out, she felt a presence behind her. Before she could whirl around, someone gripped her arm and dragged her away from the car. Elena gasped and tried to wrench away from them before she realized who it was.

"Stefan." She breathed, looking into his eyes for the first time in months.

It was then that she realized he looked different. Instead of warmth and love, Elena was seeing coldness. He looked detached, as though he was staring at stranger.

"You shouldn't be here, Elena." he said in an emotionless voice.

"Stefan, what are you…"

He began dragging her again, this time towards the warehouse.

"Let me go." Elena struggled, suddenly realizing that she'd done something terrible.

They were barely inside before she saw Klaus standing amongst several coffins that she knew was holding his family.

"She drove right up." Stefan said, shoving her forward. "I thought you'd like to speak with her."

Klaus turned, his eyebrows raising when he caught sight of her.

"Well, we have been naughty." He said, walking towards her.

Elena started to stagger backwards but Stefan caught her and held her still.

"You didn't tell me she was alive." Klaus said, reaching out to brush a finger down Elena's face.

She tried to keep the fear of her face, glaring at him.

"I am sorry. I did not think it important." Stefan said.

Klaus looked up at him with a slightly dangerous look.

"You tricked me." he said, a hint of anger in his voice. "If you were smart, you would have told me as soon as we left Mystic Falls."

Stefan nodded, releasing Elena and stepping backwards.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded, glaring at the vampire furiously.

Klaus simply smiled slightly, pulling her in closer.

"I fixed him." he said simply.

Elena didn't have to think on his meaning for very long, horror reflecting on her face as it sunk in.

"You compelled him to turn it off." she realized, almost unwilling to believe it.

Klaus nodded, pulling her in so that their faces were mere inches apart. His eyes bored into hers, the blue of them glinting maliciously.

"Now remain still like a good girl." he said, his pupils dilating.

Elena fought the urge to spit in his face, struggling in his arms to make sure he knew that his compulsion had no effect on her. She didn't know how, as she hadn't taken vervain in several weeks.

"Go fuck yourself, Klaus." Elena growled, twisting her arms in his grip as if she would fight herself away.

His eyes narrowed and drifted down to the chain hidden beneath her decorative necklace. He pulled on it, tugging the locket out of her shirt. Klaus lifted it to his nose and inhaled, smelling the herbs inside.

"Your witch is quite accomplished. There are many protective properties to it. Of course, you'll have no need of it anymore."

Elena winced when he tore it off of her neck, throwing it across the room with a clatter. Elena steeled herself for compulsion but suddenly she was whirled around, her back pressed against his chest as she faced Stefan. He was standing there, stony faced and watching without any intent to intervene.

"Look upon him for the last time, Elena." Klaus whispered in her ear.

She felt his fangs protruding from his mouth.

"Stefan, please." She whispered, struggling uselessly.

He didn't move, simply watching them.

"Don't be too sad, love." Klaus said, brushing her hair away from her neck. "You're simply dying how you should have four months ago."

Elena let out a piercing scream as his fangs pierced her neck and he took in a mouthful. She squeezed her eyes shut, pain pulsing through her neck. Klaus held her close to him, his tongue flicking at the two wounds as he tasted her blood. Suddenly, he was torn away from her and she staggered, opening her eyes to see that Stefan was not responsible. He was looking past her with wide eyes as a crash sounded. Elena pressed a hand to the wound, turning to see Castiel holding Klaus over one of the coffins. The vampire stared up at the angel with a shocked expression, obviously not expecting to come across a being that was stronger than him.

"Castiel." Elena breathed, stepping towards them.

He didn't acknowledge her, glaring down at Klaus.

"You will not touch Elena Gilbert ever again, or I will have your head." He growled. "She, as well as her family and friends, are off limits to you. Mystic Falls is protected by the wrath of the angels."

Klaus' hand wrapped around Castiel's wrist but he couldn't break the grip on his throat.

"I thought your kind were extinct." He choked out.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Klaus, tightening his grip.

"You were wrong. Heed my warning, vampire, or die."

His fingers pressed to Klaus' forehead and, in the next moment, he was unconscious on the ground. Stefan seemed to take offense to that, rushing forward. Castiel turned, simply stopping him in place to knock him out as well. Elena looked at the two vampires lying on the ground, pressing her hand to her throat with more pressure.

"Thank you." she sighed, feeling a headache as well as exhaustion.

"You should not be here." Castiel said, staring at her. "You were meant to remain with the Winchesters and Bobby Singer."

Elena looked back at him with a tired look.

"I thought… I needed to see him." she said, gesturing to Stefan. "Now, I know."

Castiel didn't even try to understand what she was saying.

"Listen to me, Elena. You must not separate from them again. It is very important that you stay with Dean and Sam, for your protection and theirs. Many things are about to happen and you are all important, as are these vampires. If they were not, I would have destroyed them in an instant."

Elena swallowed hard, not really wanting to dispute the powerful angel. His eyes were on her bleeding throat. When he strode forward, she remained perfectly still. His hand reachd for her forehead and she got a terrified feeling that he was going to knock her out too. The pain disappeared as soon as he touched her and her hand automatically lifted to touch her throat. The wound was healed. She gasped slightly, glancing up at him. He stepped away, looking satisfied. Elena stared at him for a moment, unable to keep her questions to herself.

"Why exactly is it so important that I stay with Dean and Sam? Why was it important that I find them in the first place?"

Castiel looked up at the ceiling, pressing his lips together.

"I am being summoned. Everything will be made clear soon."

Elena started as he disappeared, glancing around to see that she was alone minus the two unconscious vampires.

"You should get an award for vague talk." She sighed, wincing as she took her hand away and saw blood staining it.

When she walked to the coffin in front of her that looked like it had the least amount of dust on it, Elena opened it to see that Elijah was lying in it. He was sickly looking, not just because of the dagger buried in his chest.

"Here goes nothing." She sighed, pulling the dagger out of his chest.

Nothing happened at first but she knew that it would take time. Elena stepped away from him, watching Klaus and Stefan warily. After several moments, she sighed and sat down, leaning against another coffin for support. Thirty minutes passed and quickly turned into an hour. Just as she heard a familiar distant rumbling, Elijah sat up in his coffin gasping for air. She leapt up, staring at him with surprise. Any minute now, the hunters would most likely come running through the door. Elena was not wrong when she knew that they had ways of tracking Bobby's car. She hurried to the coffin, wincing as she cut into her wrist.

"Elijah." Elena murmured, holding her wrist out to him.

His eyes flickered to hers as his withered hands came up to grip her arm. They were cold and she gasped as his lips closed around the wound. His teeth didn't sink into her skin despite the fact that she could see his eyes turning red and the veins around them popping up. His skin slowly returned to normal. As soon as he was healthy looking again, Elijah released her and she backed away, allowing him to climb out of the coffin. His eyes took in Klaus and Stefan's unmoving forms as he wiped his mouth.

"Elena." he nodded at her, his voice still a bit hoarse. "Might I ask where my brother has brought me?"

"Chicago." She answered.

Elijah nodded, glancing down at her bleeding wrist. He lifted his own hand to his mouth and sank his fangs into his wrist, drawing blood. When he held it out to her, she didn't bother to refuse, leaning in to take some of the blood. As soon as she heard the engine cut off outside, Elena drew away and hurriedly wiped her mouth, feeling the wound on her wrist healing. Elijah stared past her at the door, obviously wondering who else was there. Dean and Sam ran in with shotguns, Bobby following them closely with a gun and a dagger. They caught sight of Elena standing with Elijah and their eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No." Elena said, stepping in front of him even though she knew that their weapons would do no harm to him. "This isn't Klaus. He's safe."

They all paused and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's Klaus. Castiel came and knocked him and Stefan out. You can lower the guns."

The hunters did as she said, straightening up and walking further into the room.

"Hunters." Elijah said, knowing exactly what they were.

"What's it to you?" Dean demanded.

Elena gave him a look before turning to look at Elijah.

"I woke you in hopes that you could do something about your brother. He's compelled Stefan to turn his emotions off and, as far as I know, he's close to starting something bad. I know you did not intend to wind up in a coffin. I know that you have loyalty with your brother but I was hoping that you might help us. Especially now that I've done this for." Elena said, gesturing to the dagger in his hand.

Elijah nodded, considering her words.

"I owe you a debt, Elena Gilbert. I did not follow through on our previous deal and must repay you for that mistake. I will not kill my brother but I will attempt to reign him in."

He walked to another coffin, pushing it open to reveal a blonde female in 1920s style clothing lying there with an identical dagger in her chest.

"I am certain that my siblings will be willing to help." Elijah said, pulling the dagger out to free her.

Elena didn't want to think about more Original family members running around, having had enough trouble with Klaus and Elijah alive.

"If you know what you're doing, I'll trust you." she finally said.

Elijah turned to her before opening the next coffin, nodding at her.

"You are putting quite a bit of trust in me and I will try not to betray it this time." he promised.

Elena smiled slightly, nodding at him.

"Protect Mystic Falls for me?" she asked, backing away.

He frowned at her, tilting his head to the side.

"You won't be there?"

Elena glanced back at Sam, Dean, and Bobby, who were all watching with confusion written on their faces. When her eyes met Dean's, she stared at him for a moment.

"No." Elena said finally, turning back to look at Elijah. "I have work to do."

Elena turned away from him and looked at Stefan where he was sleeping peacefully. She sighed and walked to him, kneeling down.

"I'll never forget us." She whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "But I'm starting something new now and I have to leave you behind. You'll find your way back to Mystic Falls and they'll take care of you."

A tear fell down her face and she wiped it away, standing up as she took a deep breath. Then she nodded, turning away and ignoring the sympathetic looks that the hunters were sending her way. Elijah walked outside with them, still earning strange looks from the other three. He was holding the other daggers of his two brothers as well as his own and the one of his sister.

"We will keep Klaus under control." he said, turning to face her. "And I'll ensure that Stefan is well-cared for."

Elena was about to reply when Dean let out a strange noise.

"How in the hell?" Bobby said, sounding shocked.

She looked at them where they stood, seeing that they were staring past her. When she turned, her eyes widened when she saw her Mini Cooper sitting in the parking lot next to Dean's Impala.

"I didn't drive that here." She said, walking towards it.

When she reached the car, she caught sight of a piece of paper sticking out from one of the windshields. Elena scanned the neat, sloping writing, unable to keep the slight smile off of her face.

_You most likely will not need this anymore. Your possessions have been left at Bobby's place of residence. The vampires may have use for it. I always hear your prayers._

_- C_

She handed the letter off to Dean, glancing inside of the car to see her keys sitting on the driver's seat. When she glanced back at Elijah, she saw that he looked slightly confused.

"Do you need a car?" Elena asked.

* * *

They had barely driven outside of Chicago when they stopped on the side of the road. Dean was in a hurry to get Elena away from Klaus and she wasn't too eager to stick around either. They climbed out, Bobby joining them after he climbed out of his car. Elena stared at the ground, feeling shame.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I know that it wasn't right, me taking your car and running off. I wasn't exactly in my right mind. For months, all we could worry about was where Stefan was. I guess as soon as I got a hint, I couldn't help but pursue it. I had no idea that he… wouldn't be himself. Klaus changed him and I should have guessed that it would happen."

Dean was the first to speak, stepping forward.

"We all fuck up." He said simply.

Elena looked up at him, surprise on her face. She expected him to be angry at least. Apparently Sam and Bobby didn't expect his understanding either, sharing a glance.

"Just… don't do it again."

Elena nodded, a serious look on her face.

"Cas made it pretty clear that I'm where I'm supposed to be." she said. "I think he's right, too."

There was silence for a few moments before Bobby spoke.

"How did you find the vampires, anyhow?" he asked, sounding impressed.

Elena remained silent for a moment, silently arguing with herself.

"You remember me telling you about my family and the doppelganger thing?" she said, finally deciding to be truthful.

They all nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Well one of those lookalike ancestors happens to be a vampire. She was tracking Klaus and our paths crossed. She gave me the address." Elena informed them.

"She helps you out, then?" Dean asked, sounding impressed and wary at the same time.

"I doubt it." Bobby said.

They all looked at him, Dean and Sam confused as Elena was surprised. How could he know what Katherine wanted?

"The lore of doppelgangers is clear. They're bad luck. If anything, this ancestor was probably up to no good." He said.

Elena nodded in agreement.

"Katherine pretty much hates me." she confirmed. "She was hoping that I would die."

Dean and Sam both took in the information with grimaces.

"So much for family love." the older brother commented.

Elena cracked a smile, turning to face the car.

"The vampire that you…" Sam cut off, not wanting to say 'kissed'. "You were… with him."

Emotional pain struck Elena's chest as she nodded, her throat tightening and her eyes burning.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Not anymore, though."

Before she could climb into the backseat, Sam stopped her.

"I'll go ride with Bobby. There's no reason for you to be cramped back there." he said.

Elena was about to refuse but he walked off with Bobby. When she climbed into the front seat, she stared out the window, unable to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks. She remained silent, ensuring that Dean was none the wiser as he pulled out and began driving down the road once more. After several minutes, he grew concerned at her silence.

"You okay?" he asked.

She didn't reply, taking a deep breath.

"Elena?" Dean asked, leaning forward.

Her hands came up and wiped her eyes quickly before she turned to him, pasting a fake smile on her face.

"Yeah?" she said.

Dean didn't look fooled, looking at her with a sad look in his eyes. Elena sighed, her lip trembling as she turned her head away. Before she knew it, he unbuckled her seatbelt and his arm was wrapping around her shoulders. She let herself be tugged across the long seat. When she was against his side, her head turned and she buried her face in his chest. Dean kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding her against him as he let her cry into his shirt without saying a word. He knew, somehow, that this was all that she really needed. Elena trembled as she cried, letting loose her emotions. She cried for Stefan and for herself, for the relationship that would have never worked out even if none of this had happened.

She cried for the life she was leaving behind and for the people that died to get her where she was now. She cried for her parents, VIsobel, John, and Jenna. She cried for Jeremy, Alaric, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and Tyler. She cried for Damon and Stefan and she cried for everyone who was ever hurt because of her. When her tears dried, she felt her eyes drooping and her body giving into exhaustion. Elena didn't draw away, instead huddling closer to Dean as she slid into unconsciousness, grateful for the reprieve from her storming emotions.

* * *

When she felt the car coming to a stop, Elena's eyes slid open and she realized that she was sprawled across the front seat of the Impala. Her head was on Dean's leg, using it as a pillow. He didn't seem to mind, his hand going to her shoulder to shake her gently.

"We're back." he said as she sat up and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry about that." Elena said, her voice rough with sleep.

Dean shrugged, shaking his head.

"I broke my right leg once and had a big cast on so I to learn how to drive with my left foot. It's not so hard now." He said, shooting a smile at her.

Elena hesitantly smiled back at him before climbing out of the car and stretching.

"My passenger got his beauty sleep." Bobby said, looking over at Sam, who was yawning. "How 'bout yours?"

Dean let out a laugh and confirmed that Elena had slept as well. They both teased her and Sam as they walked inside, their voices light as they did so. When she caught sight of the person standing there waiting, Elena stopped short and her face fell.

"Hey, Elena." the familiar person said, smiling at her.

"Jenna?" she breathed.

* * *

**I know that I cut out the scene where Sam was comforting Elena before but I promise I did that for a reason. They will have their moment in the next chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger but you guys know that I love them!**

**Next Chapter: When confronted with quite a few familiar faces, Elena, the brothers, and Bobby have to find out why they're there. More importantly, they have to figure out how to stop them before all four of them end up dead. Castiel shows up again with shocking news.**


	5. The Storm is Coming Soon

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to beverlie4055, RHatch89, xxPaige23xx, animagirl, taylena4ever, regrets-collect93, KwC1994, MaddAlice, and LineChokor for reviewing! You are all so lovely!**

**Chapter Title: Winter Song – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson**

**A few things:**

**1. I personally think this chapter is a mess but I hope you won't hate it too much.**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile, as always.**

**3. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

Elena stared at her aunt with shock, moving forward into the kitchen.

"How are you here?" she breathed. "I mean, how are you alive?"

Jenna let out a laugh, stepping towards Elena as well.

"That's the thing, Elena, I'm not alive."

A chill ran down her spine as she froze in place.

"What are you?" she demanded.

"Finally asking the right questions." Jenna nodded. "I always thought you were particularly naïve and stupid but hey, maybe you're getting better."

Elena stared at her with shock. Jenna never spoke like this.

"You are really a credit to your parents, Elena. They sacrificed everything to ensure that you were safe and they never wanted you to know about anything to do with the supernatural. How do you honor them? You date a vampire, you become friends with a vampire, you defend vampires… you're pathetic. And now you've found some hunters to hide behind." Jenna shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe they'll die for you too and you'll finally realize that what you should really do is put a gun to your head and…"

A loud shot rang out and Elena staggered away as the round hit Jenna in the chest. She disappeared and Elena whirled around to see Dean holding a sawed-off shotgun.

"That was my aunt!" she said, panic written on her face.

"It was a ghost." He said simply, taking her arm to pull her inside to the study.

Sam and Bobby set to work, lining the walls and windows with salt.

"You killed a ghost with a shotgun?" Elena questioned, unable to fully wrap her mind around this.

"No, just made it disappear. It was a salt round. Salt is sort of poisonous to ghosts. If we put it down…" Dean gestured to the line of salt on the ground. "… they can't pass it. If we shoot 'em with it, they disappear for a few minutes."

"But… how is she here? How is she a ghost? She died four months ago." Elena argued.

"Sometimes, it takes them time to catch up." Bobby informed her, pulling her back to sit down on the couch. "Especially if they're going vengeful."

Elena took a deep breath, pushing her hair out of her face.

"But how is the ghost here?" Sam questioned. "She died in Virginia, right?"

Elena nodded at them, glancing around to see if Jenna would show up again.

"You got anything of your aunt's with you?" Bobby asked.

She started to shake her head before she remembered the ring on her finger. She slid it off slowly, looking down at it.

"It was my mom's before it was Jenna's." she mumbled.

Dean and Bobby exchanged wary looks.

"It might be holding her here." Dean said, stepping forward. "If we want her to go away… we have to destroy it."

Elena looked up at him with a furrowed brow. Part of her wanted to keep a tight hold on the ring and the other part wanted it gone. She handed it over slowly, dropping it into his hand.

"I don't want to go on a walk down memory lane." She sighed, nodding at him.

"How do we destroy this?" Dean asked, turning to face Bobby.

"I got a furnace downstairs that might get hot enough." he said, standing up.

They both grabbed shotguns and walked out, staring around warily. Elena tried not to think about Jenna, wondering why she was so different as a ghost. Sam seemed to read her mind.

"It's different when they come back. They can be the sweetest people when they're alive but something about coming back as a ghost makes them vengeful. They look for the closest person to take revenge on. Sometimes they just haunt them but sometimes they try to kill them." he said.

Elena looked up at him.

"Jenna died for me. Well, because of me." She admitted. "I am to blame for her death so it makes sense, her coming after me."

Sam looked at her with sympathy.

"I can't imagine the amount of people who would come after us if they could." He said.

Elena frowned at him, confusion on her face.

"You're hunters. You save people." She said.

Sam looked after where Dean and Bobby went.

"Not everyone." He said sadly.

Elena glanced back before looking at him once more.

"Your brother is back, Sam." she said, sensing his turmoil.

He sighed, sitting in another chair and rubbing his hands down his face.

"Yeah but he was gone for four months. I mean, I don't even know what he was going through, I can't imagine. I couldn't save him from that no matter how hard I tried. It took someone else to do it, someone succeeded where I failed." Sam looked at the doorway once more. "He's done so much for me. He went to hell for me. I was supposed to save him. I was supposed to get him out."

Elena tried to think of something to say but Bobby and Dean coming back in interrupted them. As if he remembered something she said before, Dean looked directly at her.

"Did you say that Castiel was there when you were with the vampires?" he asked.

Elena nodded.

"Klaus knew who he was… or at least what he was. Apparently he thought that angels were exctint."

Dean looked doubtful, pacing the room as Bobby sat behind his desk.

"Yeah, if he even is an angel." He muttered.

They all looked at him with surprise.

"He proved it to us, Dean. We saw his wings and we heard them when he left. He healed me." Elena said, forgetting momentarily that they didn't know that Klaus bit her.

"Healed you?" Sam asked.

"Klaus bit me. It's not a big deal. Castiel stopped it." she said.

"Let's think about this. Angels can't be real. They just can't." Dean argued.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be." Sam said, standing up as well.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel." He said.

"Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?" Elena said.

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie." He suggested.

"I never came across a demon who could heal people without making a deal." Bobby said, looking at them from a book he was flipping through

"And a demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!" Sam tried to convince him.

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?" Dean countered.

"Yeah. You just did, Dean." The younger Winchester said, a fake tone of congratulations in his voice.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me." he said, wanting more than anything to explore other options.

"Dean, we have a theory." Elena sighed, already knowing that his stubbornness might even rival Damon's.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please." He grumbled, sinking onto the couch next to her.

"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we…"

"Okay, okay. That's the point." Dean said, cutting Sam off. "We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"You chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby said, staring down at something in his book.

They all walked over to Bobby's desk, bending over to look at the page.

"I got stacks of lore… Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit." He said, gesturing to the writing.

"What else?" Dean asked.

"What else, what?" Bobby said.

"What else could do it?"

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing." He shrugged.

"Dean, this is good news." Elena sighed, not understanding the grimace on his face as he walked away from the desk.

"How?" he questioned.

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?" Sam said, looking elated by the idea despite his conversation with Elena only minutes before.

"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?" Dean scoffed.

"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah." Bobby nodded.

"I don't know." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof." Sam said.

"Proof?" Dean said skeptically.

"Yes!" the other three exclaimed.

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it." he refused.

"Why not?" Sam questioned.

Elena knew exactly why. It boiled down to what Castiel said in the barn.

"_You don't think you deserve to be saved?"_

"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?" Dean said, confirming her suspicions.

"Dean…" Sam sighed.

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy." He argued, sounding truly distraught underneath his joking exterior.

"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs." Sam said.

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God." He looked disturbed, a frown fixed on his face.

"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat." His brother said.

Dean stared between them before his shoulders dropped slightly and he sighed.

"Fine. What do we know about angels?"

Bobby suddenly lifted up a huge stack of books and dropped them in front of the three younger people.

"Start reading. I'm gonna call some old contacts."

Dean and Elena both stared at the pile of books with wide eyes. He looked over at Sam, who didn't look as bothered by the prospect of research.

"You're gonna get me some pie." Dean said, pointing at Sam before grabbing a book off the top of the pile.

"And chocolate please." Elena said, smiling at him as she took a book as well.

"Beer." Bobby grunted.

Sam sighed and shook his head at all of them as he took Dean's keys and walked out. Elena settled on the couch as Dean went to the chair. Bobby was dialing his phone, looking through an address book.

"Olivia, it's Bobby again. For the fourth time. Call me back, would you? I got something big. I could use your help."

Elena sighed as she opened the book, reading through it for anything helpful. Reverting back to her old study habits, she began to move around, lying on the couch on her back, then her stomach. She migrated to the floor and leaned against the couch before turning over to lie on her back once more. When she let out a huff and turned on her stomach, the sound of a throat clearing pulled her out of the reading. She looked up to see Bobby staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Elena flushed slightly, biting her lip.

"You got an itch, girl?" he asked.

"I can't stay still when I'm doing research. It's a problem." Elena said.

"Hmm, got any other dirty secrets?" Bobby said, returning his eyes to his book.

"Sometimes when I'm upset or feeling not okay, I make a pan of brownies and eat the entire thing." She said.

She heard laughing behind her and turned to see Dean pulling out his phone. He dialed a number, winking at her as he did.

* * *

"Brownies?" Sam questioned.

He shook his head, wondering what the hell is brother was talking about.

"Just go with it." Dean said. "And chips."

"Yes, Dean, I'll get the chips and the brownies." He sighed.

"And the p…"

"Dude. When have I ever forgotten the pie?"

His brother grumbled out and Sam nodded.

"Exactly." He said, climbing out of the Impala to see someone waiting on him. "I got to go."

"Get back soon. You have research waiting on you." Dean said.

"Yeah, all right. Bye." Sam said, hanging up before walking over to the demon.

"Ruby." He nodded at her.

"So, is it true?" she demanded, not even greeting him.

"Is what true?" Sam questioned.

"Did an angel rescue Dean?" Ruby sighed, looking shifty.

"You heard." He realized.

"Who hasn't?" she scoffed.

"We're not 100% sure, but I think so." Sam confirmed.

"Okay. Bye, Sam." Ruby said, turning to walk away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Sam launched forward, grabbing her arm. "Wait. What's going on?"

She whirled around, glaring at him.

"Sam, they're angels. I'm a demon. They're not gonna care if I'm being helpful." SRuby snapped. "They smite first, and then they ask questions later."

"What do you know about them?" Sam asked, wondering if she had any helpful information.

"Not much. I've never met one, and I don't really want to. All I know is that they scare the holy hell out of me. Watch yourself, Sam." she warned him.

"I'm not scared of angels." He said, thinking that it would be ridiculous to be afraid of them.

He wasn't a demon, why should he be concerned? Ruby gave him a knowing look before turning to walk off.

* * *

Just as Sam pulled up and began to unbuckle his seatbelt, Bobby approached the car window.

"Keep the engine running." He instructed.

Sam saw Elena and Dean rush out of the house, Dean holding a duffle bag and Elena carrying several books. They were both in fresh clothing and looked ready to go.

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"I got a friend one state over… Olivia Lowry." Bobby shook his head. "I've been trying to reach her for a day on this angel thing. It's not like her to ignore this many calls."

"Olivia Lowry… a hunter, right?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me."

Dean approached the driver's seat and Elena opened the door to the back as Bobby headed to his own car.

"Scoot over." Dean said, climbing in as Sam slid to the other side of the car.

He grabbed the bag with enthusiasm, obviously hungry. He passed the box of ready made brownies back to Elena, who beamed at them.

"Dude?" he said, glaring up at Sam.

"Yeah?" Sam replied, distracted with thoughts about his conversation with Ruby.

"Where's the pie?" Dean demanded.

The younger brother froze for a moment before giving him an apologetic look. Dean shook his head, tossing the bag on the seat as he grumbled about it.

"I'll share my brownies with you." Elena said, leaning forward and passing him a piece.

Dean took it, shooting Sam another glare as he bit a piece off. Elena smiled at Sam, handing him a piece as well.

"Thank you, Elena." he nodded at her.

"You're welcome, Sam." she said, sitting back in her seat.

* * *

They entered a house, Elena walking in behind the others. They were all holding guns, including Elena. She had only the experience that Alaric gave her when he taught her to shoot his handguns. She'd never shot a shotgun. They entrusted her with one anyway, knowing that if she accidentally shot one of them, the salt rounds wouldn't hurt much.

"Olivia?" Bobby called.

Elena glanced around at the same time as Dean and they saw the puddle of blood.

"Bobby." Dean said, stepping into the room.

The woman was still in her pajamas, though they were stained red. Her entire chest was ripped open and torn to shreds. Suddenly Bobby backed away, turning to walk out of the room.

"Bobby?" Dean called.

He didn't answer.

"Salt line." Sam said, gesturing to the doorway.

Dean saw Elena staring down at the body of the hunter and moved closer to her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just… what could do this?" she asked, turning to look at them with a slightly pale face.

Sam and Dean both glanced around and Dean picked up some sort of device, peering down at it.

"Olivia was rocking the EMF meter." He said, lifting it for Sam to see.

"Spirit activity." The younger brother nodded.

"Yeah… on steroids. I never seen a ghost do this to a person." Dean said, looking down at Olivia's body.

"Another ghost?" Elena asked, wondering what the odds of Jenna showing up just before they discovered this woman dead were.

Sam and Dean both stared at her, obviously trying to figure something out. Bobby walked back in holding his phone, refusing to look down at the body.

"Bobby, you all right?" Dean asked, looking concerned.

"I called some hunters nearby..." he sighed, pushing his phone into his pocket.

"Good. We can use their help." Sam nodded.

"...except they ain't answering their phones either." Bobby finished, glancing back up at them.

"Something's up." Sam said, glancing around

"You think?" The oldest male said, rolling his eyes.

They all watched with concern as he walked out of the room, his fists clenched.

* * *

Elena hovered outside the door of the next hunter's house, waiting as Dean and Sam took a look inside. When they walked out, Dean was on the phone and Sam shook his head at her.

"We're in Jackson. It's not pretty." Dean sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He looks even worse than Olivia. What about you?"

"I checked on Carl Bates and R.C. Adams. They've redecorated... in red." They heard Bobby say on the other end.

"What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place." the older hunter said.

"We're on our way." Dean nodded before hanging up.

Elena climbed into the backseat, pulling her knees to her chest as they drove away. She could tell that this was taking a toll on Sam and Dean as well as Bobby. They didn't like to see their fellow hunters die. It was like a family, from what she could tell. Before she could offer any words of comfort, something caught her eye. Elena turned, gasping as she stared out of the car window.

"What is it?" Dean said, looking back at her along with Sam.

Elena stared at the spot where she was sure that she'd seen her mother standing on the corner of the street.

"Nothing." She breathed, shaking her head. "I just thought I saw something."

She turned away, looking down at her hands as her heart slowly calmed down. The brothers didn't think too much on it, discussing what could be happening as they drove.

"Is there any way that Elena's aunt is connected to this?" Sam asked.

"Why would she be? Elena isn't a hunter." Dean pointed out.

"But she's connected to three of them right now. Her family was filled with hunters. Who says this isn't involving her too?" Sam reminded him.

Dean glanced back at her as she looked up and their eyes met. Elena saw him scrutinizing her for a moment before he looked away. She took a deep breath and looked out the window once again, glad to see that there were no more weird hallucinations for her to see.

* * *

When they pulled up to the gas station, Sam went straight inside to use the bathroom. Elena climbed out and stretched as Dean put the gas pump into the car. Elena glanced at the gas station, seeing Sam in the window of the bathroom moving around.

"What did you see back there?" Dean asked, looking at her.

Elena glanced at him and hesitated.

"It might be important to whatever the hell is going on. More times than not, it's not all in your head." He said.

She looked away, hugging her arms around as she looked down.

"My mother." Elena admitted. "She was on the side of the road when we were driving. I'm sure it was just a trick of the light but…"

"I'm not so sure." Dean said, hurrying to the trunk of the car as he stared at the gas station.

Elena turned to look, her eyes widening when she saw that the window to the bathroom was iced over and more than one blurred figure was moving behind it. Dean ripped out a shotgun, running inside and ignoring the attendant as he ran towards the bathroom. Elena moved behind him after a moment, hearing him slamming through the door. As she reached the entrance to the store, a figure suddenly flickered into sight. She skidded to a stop, staring at her mother in shock as the attendant let out a scream of panic.

"Mom?" Elena breathed, recognizing the ghostly pallor of her face as she'd seen it on Jenna too.

Dean's shotgun fired off and the ghost of her mother glanced back before looking at Elena with a hard gaze. Before anything else happened, she flickered out of sight and Elena stared at the place where she was with a pale face.

* * *

**One Minute Earlier**

Sam took a deep breath as he ran his hands under the cold water. As he exhaled, his body went into hunter mode when he saw his breath come out visibly. He whirled around, shock freezing him in place when he saw who was standing there.

"Hi, Sam." Victor Henricksen said. "It's been a while."

"Henriksen. Are you… did you..." he stammered.

"I didn't survive... if that's what you're asking." The FBI agent said, staring at him calmly.

"I'm sorry." Sam sighed, looking at him warily.

"I know you are." Henricksen nodded.

"Look, if we'd known Lilith was coming…"

"You wouldn't have left half a dozen innocent people in that police station to die in your place." Henricksen interrupted, his voice adopting a hardened tone. "You did this to me. It was your fault. She was after you, and I paid the price. You left us there to die!"

Suddenly he launched forward, grabbing him hard and throwing him around. Sam gasped as he slammed into the wall, his eyes dropping as he noticed a small brand on his hand. When he slammed into the mirror and hunched over, Victor grasped his head and slammed him into the sink, causing him to fall to the ground. Just as he was about to wrap his hand around Sam's throat, Dean bursted in and shot Henricksen through the chest, causing the ghost to disappear.

"Sammy come on." he said, hauling him up and pulling him out of the bathroom.

Elena was standing at the entrance looking terrified but Dean didn't have the time to ask why. They would be better in a moving car.

"Let's go." he growled, looking furious.

Elena followed, climbing into the backseat without saying a word.

* * *

Dean hurtled down the street, holding the phone to his ear as he looked over at his brother with concern.

"Dammit, Bobby! Pick up!" he yelled at the phone, dropping it into his lap.

Elena was leaning forward, having gotten past the shock of seeing her mother.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, inspecting his face.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Dean threw in, watching them.

"None." Sam replied with a roll of his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Elena drew away, trusting that he was telling the truth.

"Henriksen?" Dean questioned.

"Yep." He confirmed.

"Who's Henricksen?" Elena asked.

"An FBI agent we used to know." Dean said simply. "What did he want?"

"Revenge, cause we got him killed." Sam shrugged, looking out of the window miserably.

"Sam." Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, we did, Dean." He said, daring his brother to contradict him once more.

"All right. Stop right there. Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay?" Dean said, trying to get his brother to focus or shut up. "I can't get a hold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."

They all drew silent, staring off in different directions.

"I saw my mother in the gas station again. She was definitely there this time. She didn't attack, just disappeared when she heard you fire the gun." Elena said.

"Your parents were in a car crash." Dean said, shaking his head. "How does that make a vengeful spirit?"

Elena swallowed hard, glancing out of her window.

"Spirits usually die violent deaths." Sam said.

"Or their deaths are someone's fault. Even if someone plays a small part in it, they can still be targets of the spirit." Dean said.

They both turned back to see that Elena was staring out of the window with a devastated expression, her lips pressed tightly together. Dean and Sam exchanged a look before becoming quiet once more.

* * *

They entered the house slowly, Elena behind the brothers as they held the guns up.

"Bobby?" Dean called.

There was no answer. When they made it to the stairs, Elena bent down to pick up the iron poker on the ground, shifting her shotgun to one hand.

"I'll go." Dean said, gesturing to the stairs. "Sam, you check outside. Elena, stay in the kitchen in case anyone comes in that way. If it ain't Bobby, shoot."

Elena nodded, backing towards the kitchen and pressing herself against the wall beside the table with the shotgun held tightly in her hand. She set the iron poker on the table and waited, taking deep breaths as she tried to keep herself from panicking.

* * *

Sam walked through the junkyard slowly, glancing around to see if he could catch sight of the older hunter.

"Bobby?" he yelled, listening to hear if he called back.

His voice simply echoed around the broken down cars.

* * *

Dean walked along the hallway upstairs, glancing around every few steps.

"Bobby?" he said.

Ahead of him, a door creaked open but no one stepped out. Dean stopped short, readying himself.

"Come out, come out, whoever you are." He said, staring forward.

A moment later, the air around him grew chillier.

"Dean Winchester. Still so bossy."

He whirled around, staring at the young woman with light brown hair and a pale face

"You don't recognize me?"

Dean squinted at her, knowing that he knew her face from somewhere. When he realized it, he took a step back.

"This is what I looked like before that demon cut off my hair and dressed me like a slut." She said, sounding angry.

"Meg?" he realized.

"Hi." She said, smiling. "It's okay, I'm not a demon."

"You're the girl the demon possessed." He nodded, remaining still as she moved forward.

"Meg Masters. Nice to finally talk to you when I'm not, you know, choking on my own blood."

Her eyes flickered to his shotgun and she held up her hands.

"It's okay. Seriously, I'm just a college girl. Sorry… was." Meg smiled sadly. "I was walking home one night and got jumped by all this smoke. Next thing you know, I'm a prisoner..."

She gestured to her head, pointing at her temple.

"… in here. Now, I was awake. I had to watch while she murdered people."

"I'm sorry." Dean sighed, staring at her with a tortured expression.

"Oh, yeah? So sorry you had me thrown off a building?" She demanded.

"Well, we thought…"

"No, you didn't think! I kept waiting, praying!" she yelled, cutting him off. "I was trapped in there screaming at you! 'Just help me, please!' You're supposed to help people, Dean. Why didn't you help me?"

The last part was more of a whimper.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"Stop saying you're sorry!" Meg shouted, punching so hard that he fell to the floor.

The shotgun skidded out of his hands and she kicked it away.

"Meg. Meg..." he said, scooting away from her.

She aimed a kick at his stomach, causing him to grunt in pain.

"We didn't know." Dean choked out.

"No... you just attacked. Did you ever think there was a girl in here?" She stared down at him with a furious look. "No. You just charged in, slashing and burning. You think you're some kind of hero?"

"No, I don't." he said, shaking his head.

She bent down, grabbing a hold of his jacket. His eyes flickered down to her hand and he frowned.

"You're damn right. Do you have any idea what it's like to be ridden for months by pure evil... while your family has no idea what happened to you?"

"We did the best we could." Dean said.

She shoved him backwards and kicked his face.

* * *

"Bobby?" Sam's voice called, sounding far off.

He struggled where he was in the bed of the covered truck.

"Are you scared, Bobby?" One of the little girls said, pressing her hand down on his mouth.

"We were scared, Bobby." The other girl said.

"When the monster came for us... and grabbed us tight."

"And we couldn't even scream. You were right there, Bobby."

"You were in the house."

"You were so close."

Sam looked around, panicking as he wondered if Bobby was even out there. When he saw his breath come out of his mouth, he froze.

"Bobby?" he called.

He let out a groan but the girls covered it up with their talking.

"You could have saved us, Bobby."

"We're here, Bobby?" Sam yelled, running at a car and wrenching the trunk open.

There was nothing in there.

"You walked right past that door." The little girl said.

"The monster had us. And you didn't find us."

"And now they won't find you."

* * *

Elena shivered as she felt a chill in the air, glancing at the door as she wondered if it had suddenly become cold out there.

"Hello Elena."

She whirled around, staring at her mother with a terrified expression.

"Mom?" she whispered.

"I'm here." Miranda nodded, walking forward. "But you shouldn't be."

Elena frowned at her.

"I'm safe here, Mom. These guys are hunters, they know what they're doing. Just like Dad and Uncle John."

Miranda let out a humorless laugh, reaching out with a cold hand to tuck an escaped lock of hair behind her ear.

"No, honey." She said, shaking her head. "You shouldn't be here. You should be dead like me and your father. If you were dead, none of this would have happened."

"Caroline would still be alive." A new voice said.

Elena whirled around to see her father standing there as well. She backed away from both of them, trembling as she held onto the shotgun in her hand.

"I would still be alive." Jenna said, appearing beside her mother.

"You should have died that day in the river." Miranda said.

"We're just here to set things right." Grayson added.

"Just come with us, Elena. Close your eyes and it'll all be over."

* * *

Dean didn't stand, sliding backwards into a room.

"It wasn't just me, Dean. I had a sister. A little sister. She worshipped me." Meg said, standing over him. "You know how little siblings are, right? How they'll do anything for you. She was never the same after I disappeared. She just... she just got lost. And when my body was lying in the morgue beat-up and broken..."

"Meg." Dean groaned, blood leaking out of his mouth.

"Do you know what that did to her? She killed herself!" Meg kicked his stomach, making him yell out hoarsely. "Because of you, Dean! Because all you were thinking about was your family, your revenge, and your demons! 50 words of Latin a little sooner, and I'd still be alive. My baby sister would still be alive. That blood is on your hands, Dean!"

"You're right." he agreed.

It didn't make her happy, her foot only connecting with his face once more.

* * *

Sam turned around, desperation on his face. That was when he saw the two little girls in the reflection of the car.

"Bobby! Hold on, Bobby!" he yelled, picking up a crowbar to pry the doors open. "I'm coming! Bobby!"

As soon as he popped it off, the two girls leapt at him, knocking him to the ground. Sam swung the crowbar at one of them, causing her to disappear. Bobby dropped out of the truck, using a tire iron the other.

"Let's get inside." he said, wincing in pain as he helped Sam up and they staggered towards the house.

* * *

Elena was backed against the cabinets, tears pouring down her face as she looked up on her family.

"What about Jeremy?" she whimpered.

"Jeremy? You don't think he'll be better off without you?" Jenna scoffed.

"You got his parents killed." Miranda said.

"His girlfriend killed, twice." Grayson reminded her.

"His uncle."

"You let him be compelled by a vampire."

"Killed by a vampire."

"You've been nothing but poison to his life."

Elena shook her heard, squeezing her eyes shut as she refused to hear them.

"Kill yourself." Grayson said.

"Do it now." Miranda snapped.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed, positioning the shotgun in her hands.

She fired at Jenna first, causing her to disappear. Before either of her parents could do anything she fired at her mother as well.

"How could you?" Grayson demanded, glaring at her. "You are a disgrace for a daughter. I should have let you die the night you were born."

Elena whimpered, aiming the gun at him as well.

"I'm so sorry." She cried before she shot him as well, causing him to vanish.

The shotgun fell from her hands and she sank to the ground, burying her face in her arms as she cried violently. The door slammed open and she looked up to see Sam and Bobby run in.

"Dean's upstairs." Sam said.

Bobby ran out as he knelt next to Elena.

"Are you all right?" he asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

"My parents." She sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she shook her head. "They wanted me to die… they said… I was poison. It's my fault… everything is my fault."

Sam shook his head, putting a hand on her cheek.

"No, you can't take responsibility for everything." He argued.

"But I am the reason they're dead." Elena stressed. "We were only driving because I snuck out and I didn't have a ride home. We went off of that bridge because I was so stupid."

Sam sighed, pulling her into an embrace.

"You couldn't have known. You were young and you didn't know. It's a mistake anyone can make. You shouldn't bear the guilt of their deaths." He sighed.

Elena pulled away, looking up at him with tearstained eyes.

"How many people's deaths do you take upon your shoulders?" she asked.

"It's different." Sam said.

Elena looked at him with a devastated face.

"It's not." She whimpered, shaking her head.

Sam glanced around, realizing that they were unsafe where they were. He grabbed both of their guns before picking her up in his arms and carrying her into the study. They sat on the couch but Elena didn't detach, burying her face in his shoulder as she curled against him and let her emotions loose. Sam trusted that Bobby was taking care of Dean as he comforted the hysterical female in his arms.

* * *

Dean stared up at Meg, slowly pulling a handgun out of his jeans. He aimed it up at her and she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Dean, did your brain get french-fried in Hell? You can't shoot me with bullets." She said.

"I'm not shooting you." he choked out.

He moved the gun, aiming it at the ceiling before shooting. The chandelier fell straight on her and she disappeared.

"Iron." He said.

Bobby ran in at that moment, not saying a word before he helped Dean off the ground and pulled him towards the stairs. They came down the stairs in time to see Elena wiping her eyes as Sam stood up to help Dean.

"I'm fine." He groaned, pushing them away to sit down in a chair as he wiped his mouth.

Elena looked at him with concern but didn't say a word.

"So, they're all people we know?" Sam sighed.

"Not just know. People we couldn't save." Dean said.

Elena averted her eyes at his words, looking down at her shoes.

"Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

"I don't think so." Sam said, shaking his head.

"It was like a-a mark on her hand… almost like a brand." He described.

Sam looked as though he had a realization.

"I saw a mark, too, on Henriksen."

"What did it look like?" Bobby questioned.

"Uh, paper?" Sam requested.

Bobby handed it to him and he quickly sketched out the mark as he remembered it. When he held it up to Dean, the other brother nodded.

"That's it."

"I may have seen this before." Bobby said as he took the paper. "We got to move."

Elena stood up, accepting a stack of books as Bobby shoved them at everyone.

"Follow me."

"Okay, where are we going?" Sam asked as they walked out of the study.

"Some place safe, you idjit." Bobby grumbled, shaking his head.

They walked down to the basement and reached the end of the room, Bobby opened a door that looked slightly like a safe. When they walked in, Elena looked at the circular room with surprise. It looked as though it were made of a sort of metal and it was covered in pentagrams.

"Bobby, is this..." Sam said, trailing off.

"Solid iron. Completely coated in salt." The older hunter patted the wall. "100% ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" Sam breathed.

"I had a weekend off." Bobby shrugged.

Elena let out a laugh, feeling amazed at his brilliance.

"Bobby." Dean said, shaking his head.

"What?" he grunted.

"You're awesome." Dean grinned at him as Bobby rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut.

Elena wasn't fooled, catching sight of the pride in his eyes. Several minutes later, she and Bobby were reading through books as Sam and Dean made more salt rounds. They'd given her a run down of all of the weapons hanging on the wall, telling her everything that they could kill. Elena was shocked to find out everything that existed in this world.

"See, this is why I can't get behind God." Dean said, putting down his materials.

Elena rolled her eyes as Bobby sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, the only one willing to open that can of worms.

"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad shit happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason… just random, horrible, evil… I get it, okay. I can roll with that." Dean nodded, sounding bothered. "But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

Elena and Sam both looked at him before glancing at Bobby for help.

"I ain't touching this one with at ten-foot pole." He said, shaking his head.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, taking that as validation to his point.

"Found it." Bobby said several minutes later, sitting up straight.

"What?" Sam asked.

"The symbol you saw… the brand on the ghosts..."

"Yeah?" Elena said.

"Mark of the Witness." He informed them.

"Witness? Witness to what?" Sam questioned.

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts… they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose." He said.

"Who?" Dean wondered.

"Do I look like I know? But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called 'the rising of the witnesses'. It figures into an ancient prophecy." Bobby explained.

"Wait, wait. What book is that prophecy from?" Dean asked, leaning over to peek at his book.

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know. But long story short… Revelations."

They all stared at him with surprise.

"This is a sign." Bobby said.

"A sign of what?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

"The apocalypse." He answered.

There was silence for several minutes as they stared at him.

"Apocalypse?" Elena finally said, wanting to make sure she heard it right.

Bobby nodded.

"The apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one. The rise of the witnesses is a… a mile marker." He said, gesturing to the book.

"Okay, so, what do we do now?" Sam asked, sounding unsure.

"Road trip. Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience." Dean clapped his hand with a grin and pointed at Sam. "Bunny Ranch."

Elena hid her smile as Sam scowled at him.

"First things first. How about we survive our friends out there?" Bobby said, reminding him of that.

"Great. Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?" Dean asked.

"It's a spell…" Bobby said, gesturing to the book. "… to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

"Should." Sam nodded, not feeling too confident in his wording. "Great."

"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house." He said, ignoring the younger Winchester.

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked, sounding hopeful.

"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden? Spell's got to be cast over an open fire." Bobby said, moving to stand up.

"The fireplace in the library." Elena realized.

"Bingo." Bobby nodded.

"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean said, glancing around longingly.

They prepared to leave and Elena stood up.

"You should stay in here." Dean said.

"Like hell." She scoffed. "You'll need all the help you can get."

"It's dangerous." He argued.

Elena tilted her head to the side, picking up a shotgun and cocking it.

"Then maybe you should stay behind." She said.

Sam and Bobby exchanged amused looks as Dean raised an eyebrow at her and didn't argue anymore. They prepared to walk out, all suitably weapon'd up.

"Cover each other. And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you." Bobby instructed the younger three. "Ready?"

They all nodded at him, taking deep breaths as he opened the door. One by one, they walked out, shotguns at the ready. As they neared the stairs, all of them stopped short when they saw the young many with curly hair sitting at the top of them.

"Hey, Dean." He said, looking up at them. "You remember me?"

"Ronald, huh? With the laser eyes?" Dean nodded, looking as though he could never forget. "I wish I could say it's good to see you."

"I am dead because of you." he said, his tone angry as he stood. "You were supposed to help me!"

A shot rang out and he disappeared. Elena, Dean, and Sam all looked at Bobby as he stared back unapologetically.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk." He said, shaking his head before walking up the stairs.

They followed him, making their way into the study. Sam and Elena quickly made a salt circle as Dean started the fire and Bobby gathered his ingredients. He turned to Sam once they finished pouring the salt.

"Upstairs, linen closet… red hex box. It'll be heavy." He instructed.

"Got it." Sam nodded, turning to leave.

Two little girls appeared in the living room.

"Bobby." One of them said in an eerie voice.

Elena and Dean both shot at the girls, causing them to disappear.

"Kitchen. Cutlery drawer." Bobby said to Dean. "It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

"Opium?" Dean said, hesitating to look at Bobby with surprise.

"Go!"

Dean rushed out and he sighed, looking at Elena.

"Cover him." he said.

As she ran out behind him, the girls reappeared.

"Bobby. You walked right by us while that monster ate us all up." The older one said as he drew with chalk on his desk.

"You could have saved us." The other said.

He picked up his gun, firing at both of them before continuing his work. Elena watched the door with her back to Dean as he searched for the false bottom in the drawer. Suddenly the doors to the kitchen slammed closed with a bang. Elena jumped as Bobby called after them.

"We're all right, Bobby! Keep working!" Dean yelled back at him.

Elena felt the chill and just as she turned, she saw a man flicker into sight beside Dean. He sighed, looking up at him.

"Henricksen."

"Dean." The man nodded.

"I know." He said.

"No. You don't." the FBI agent refused.

Just as she took aim, Elena's shotgun flew out of her hand and she felt frozen in place.

"It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind." Dean said. "And the minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, 'I should have known.' I should have protected you."

He reached for the gun behind him but it went hurtling in the same direction.

"Uh-uh. Not so fast." The ghost said, shaking his head. "You think you left and Lilith came and we all died in a beautiful blast of... white light? If only."

Dean stared at him with confusion.

"Forty-five minutes."

"What?" Dean breathed.

"Over forty-five minutes. Lilith said she wanted to have some fun. The secretary was first. Remember her? Nancy, the virgin. Lilith filleted Nancy's skin off piece by piece. Right in front of us, made us watch. Nancy never stopped screaming."

Elena glanced at Dean, who looked pained at the information.

"No." he whispered.

"I was the last." Henricksen said.

"Victor..." Dean began.

Suddenly the ghost shoved his hand into Dean's chest and he gasped in pain as Elena let out a cry of panic.

"Tell me how it's fair." He growled. "You get saved from Hell… I die. Why do you deserve another chance, Dean?"

Suddenly the force holding Elena in place disappeared. She didn't hesitate, diving for the shotgun. The round hit the ghost before he could say another word and she ran forward to catch Dean as he staggered.

"Are you okay?" she asked, hearing Sam rush in behind them.

"You all right?" he questioned before Dean could answer her.

"No." Dean groaned as he stood up with their help.

Sam gathered the supplies as Elena helped him into the study. They stood around getting the stuff ready for Bobby when Ronald appeared in front of Dean and Elena across the salt line. Dean was reloading his gun but he barely reacted.

"Ronald. Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals." he said, glancing up.

"That's when I was breathing. Now I'm gonna eat you alive." The ghost growled, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger."

Dean cocked his gun and pointed it at Ronald but he disappeared before he could shoot. Bobby began reciting Latin and the windows blew open. Wind filled the room and Elena watched with wide eyes as it blew the salt away. Meg appeared but Sam shot at her as Bobby continued to do the spell. Elena stood beside him, ready to defend him. Sam and Dean fought with all manner of ghosts that they recognized. Elena saw her parents and Jenna show up every once in a while but she shot them before they could say a word, having heard enough from them. When Meg appeared again, she pushed Sam against the wall and shoved a desk at him. Dean had run out of salt rounds and was swinging wildly with an iron poker.

"Sam!" he yelled.

"Cover Bobby!" the younger brother grunted.

Meg turned to Bobby and Elena was distracted with the little girls when she appeared behind Bobby. She plunged a hand into his chest and he let out a yell, dropping the bowl. Dean dove for it, barely catching it in time.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled. "Fireplace!"

Dean didn't hesitate, throwing it into the fire. The ghosts all disappeared and Bobby fell to the ground. Elena was beside him within moments, her hands on his face as she sighed with relief.

"Bobby?" Dean said, moving to them as Sam freed himself from the desk.

Dean and Elena helped him up as he assured them that he was okay.

* * *

Elena walked into the living room holding the first aid kit that Bobby gave to her. She sat beside Dean on the couch, who was struggling out of his button-down shirt.

"I'm really fine." He said.

Elena gave him a doubtful look and he shut up with a sigh. She began dabbing at the cut on his cheek, cleaning it with alcohol before placing a bandage over it. When she fixed up his wounds that she could see, Elena considered him for a moment.

"Shirt off." she decided, backing away.

Dean smirked over at her, hiding his pain with flirtation.

"If you wanted to get me out of my clothes, all you had to do was ask." He said.

"Oh shut up." She said with a slight smile.

Dean tried to lift his arms to take it off but he gave up after a moment, wincing at the pain in his torso. Elena leaned in, gently pulling it over his head. The movement brought their faces closer and they were mere inches away as she dropped the shirt on the ground.

"Sorry." Elena whispered, pulling away before looking down at his chest.

A gasp escaped her mouth when she saw the bruises that littered his skin.

"That looks horrible." She said, unconsciously running her fingers over the biggest bruise on his stomach.

Dean shivered at her touch and she glanced up at him.

"Go ahead and say it, I got my ass kicked by a girl." he said.

"A ghost, there's a difference." Elena said, working on cleaning up the few cuts that managed to split the skin of his torso. "Your manhood is still intact."

Dean let out a laugh as she worked on him. Her eyes went to the black tattoo on his chest.

"What is that?" she asked, tapping it.

"Devil's Trap. Keeps demons out. Sam has one too." He answered, nodding at the study where Sam and Bobby were discussing the rising of the witnesses.

"That's clever." Elena said, nodding appreciatively as she moved around to his back.

"It was my idea." Dean said, sounding slightly proud.

She stared at the few bruises on his back and sighed, shaking her head.

"I just wish I could take them away." She said, her fingers brushing over the worst of them. "I feel helpless."

Dean glanced at her over his shoulder.

"You saved my life earlier." He reminded her. "You're not helpless."

She smiled at him, glancing down at the bruise once more. When she saw that it was gone, Elena gasped and drew her hand away.

"What?" Dean asked, sounding panicked.

"Nothing, it's just…" Elena reached down, prodding lightly at the spot.

Dean jerked, a sharp breath coming out of his mouth.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, sounding horrified.

"No." Dean said too quickly.

Elena looked at him and suddenly realized why he moved. A slow smile spreaded across her face.

"You're ticklish." She accused.

"No I'm not." Dean scoffed.

Elena let out a soft laugh, handing his shirt back to him with the mysteriously disappearing bruise forgotten.

"Your secret is safe with me." she murmured before standing to take Bobby's kit back to him.

* * *

Elena sat up in the bed, pushing her hair out of her face as she breathed quickly. The harsh words of her parents echoed through her head, invading her dream world and turning it into nightmares. She shook her head, trying to block it all out as she glanced around the small guest room that Bobby allowed her to have. As she laid back, her eyes were wide open and staring. With a huff, she slid out of the bed and stood, padding to the door. Elena was silent as she moved through the house, passing through the living room where Dean and Sam were fast asleep. The latter was on the couch and Dean was on the floor.

She felt horrible. Elena tried to argue that Dean should get the bed but they all shot her down and she ended up going up there. When she walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, she opened the fridge and bent over it. As soon as she pulled out a bottle, she gasped when she saw someone leaning against the cabinets. The fridge door closed as she backed away straight into Dean, who was walking into the room. They both stared at Castiel, studying his features in the darkness.

"Excellent job with the witnesses." He said in a quite voice.

Dean's hand closed around Elena's wrist and he pulled her to stand beside him.

"You were hip to all this?" he asked.

"I was, uh… made aware." Castiel nodded.

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance." Dean snapped. "You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you didn't." Castiel said, his eyes flickering to Elena. "I left you in capable hands."

"Me?" Elena questioned, sounding shocked.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians." Dean said, ignoring his last comment. "Fluffy wings, halos… you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."

"Read the Bible." Castiel said, staring at him. "Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."

They both stared at him incredulously. If he was a soldier, there was certainly a fight for him to participate in. Dean's next words echoed Elena's thoughts.

"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight?" he asked.

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns." Castiel replied, unbothered by the questioning.

"Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here!" Dean hissed, stepping forward.

Elena went along with him, remaining by his side.

"And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh, if there is a God?"

"There's a God." Castiel nodded.

"I'm not convinced. Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse?" Dean demanded. "At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works..." the angel began.

"If you say mysterious ways, so help me, I will kick your ass." Dean cut him off.

Castiel threw his hands up out of frustration as Elena looked between them.

" So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse." She said quietly.

"That's why we're here. Big things afoot." He nodded.

"Do we want to know what kind of things?" Dean asked.

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The rising of the witnesses is one of the sixty-six seals." Castiel said.

"Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld." Dean sighed.

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith." He continued.

Their blood both ran cold at the mention of the demon's name. Elena already knew enough to know that she was a bad deal.

"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses." Dean realized.

"Mm-hmm. And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead." Castiel informed them.

Elena looked at Dean sadly, knowing that information would hit him hard.

"Of course. She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us." He said, sounding angry.

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor." The angel said.

"What about Elena? Why did she send them after her?" he asked.

"The demon senses that she's important. Lilith does not know how she will play into things, but she thought she might be safer attempting to eliminate her now." Castiel said.

Elena tried her best not to be troubled by the information but it wasn't easy.

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest." Dean argued.

"It doesn't matter." He said. "The seal was broken."

"Why break the seal anyway?" Elena asked.

"You think of the seals as locks on a door." Castiel said.

"Okay. Last one opens and..."

The angel stood up straighter, his expression becoming even more grave.

"Lucifer walks free." He said solemnly, his voice carrying the weight of the words that it spoke.

Elena and Dean remained silent for a few moments, taking in the information slowly.

"Lucifer?" Elena said, trying to figure out how that was possible.

"But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing." Dean said.

"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me." Castiel reminded him. "Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in two thousand years?"

Elena considered his words, realizing that their extended absence must have been why Klaus thought they were extinct.

"To stop Lucifer." Dean said.

"That's why we've arrived." He confirmed.

"Well... bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice." Dean nodded, his voice full of derision.

"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost."

Dean scoffed and Castiel stepped closer, getting right in his face with a hardened expression.

"Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around?" he said, glaring up at Dean. "There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."

Elena stared between them, not daring to speak as they stared each other down. Castiel disappeared with a flutter of wings and they were left alone in the kitchen. They didn't move for several minutes, both having a hard time understanding exactly what they just heard.

"Lucifer." Elena whispered, looking up at Dean.

He glanced down at her before nodding and glancing at the living room where Sam was still sleeping.

"Yeah, we're fucked."

* * *

**Review please! I do love to hear what you think.**

**Next Chapter: Elena and Dean share some quality time together that is extended even more when Castiel sends them on a trip to the past.**


	6. Losing What I Never Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, Dean Winchester Rocks, beverlie4055, LineChokor, xxPaige23xx, Kendra1994, regrets-collect93, and JMHUW for reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Down – Jason Walker**

**1. I apologize for any mistakes made during this chapter. It was a lot of words to proofread and I may have missed some.**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**3. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena watched as Dean turned, walking into the living room once again to go back to sleep. She knew that there would be no sleep for her anymore. Turning her back, she pushed the door open and walked out into the warm air. Moments later, she heard the door open.

"Stop!" Dean hissed, causing her to freeze in place.

She turned slowly to see him walking down the steps with a concerned look.

"What is it?" she asked, glancing around to see if there was something wrong.

"This gravel has glass in it. You're not going to like it when you have a million shards in your feet." He berated her, his eyes narrowing.

Elena laughed, a warm feeling filling up her chest at his concern.

"You know, you're really sweet when you're not making dirty jokes all the time." she informed him, causing him to flush in the moonlight as he smiled.

Before she knew it, he'd bent down and pulled her into his arms. She shrieked and clung to his shoulders as he lifted her into the air.

"You have to be more careful." He warned her.

"Yes sir." Elena nodded solemnly before realizing that his face was very close to hers

Her breathing slowed down considerably as they stared at each other. She expected him to carry her to the porch but instead he carried her to the Impala and set her down on the hood.

"Stay here." Dean commanded, turning to walk back inside the house.

"Not like I can go anywhere else." She said, looking around at the glass filled gravel surrounding her.

He walked back out after two minutes with a plastic bag. She watched as he leaned on the Impala next to where she was sitting. Her bare legs dangled off as she scooted closer to see what he brought. He pulled out a six-pack of beer, chips, and chocolate.

"It's not brownies but I know that girls are supposed to like chocolate." Dean said, handing it to her.

"Hmm, well girls aren't supposed to be hanging out with guys she's known for three days in a creaky old house. I'm not like other girls." Elena informed him, breaking off a piece of the chocolate bar and popping it into her mouth with a grin.

He looked stumped, like he thought she might leave.

"I'm kidding, Dean. I'm not going to leave you. Especially since I'm destined to do something great according to an angel… from heaven… and today I killed ghosts. Where do you go after that?" Elena asked.

Dean stared at her, dumbstruck. He was still stuck on the fact that she wasn't going to leave. It was the first time anyone said that to him in his entire life. His father always told him that there would be a day he left and didn't come back and Dean couldn't wallow in grief if it happened. He'd raised his sons to be hardened warriors and they couldn't fall apart if he died. Sam did leave him to go to college and he never made any promises to stick around. Even Bobby knew the realistic nature of being a hunter and he was like a father to Sam and Dean. So to hear someone say that was foreign.

"What if your ex turns all good again? You won't go running back to him?" Dean asked, wincing at how harsh the words sounded coming out of his mouth.

Elena turned her dark eyes on his and stared at him for a moment.

"There are just some things you can't forget. I know that it wasn't Stefan's choice to turn off his emotions but he didn't hesitate before dragging me into that warehouse to be slaughtered by Klaus. He would have just sat back while I was killed if Castiel hadn't showed up. And it pains me to say all of this because he got into that situation in the noblest of ways. He was trying to save his brother. But Stefan has always had a problem keeping himself under control. His bloodlust is… Damon called him a ripper." She finished looking down at her hands.

"I know how hard it is to see someone you love going on a downward spiral." Dean said, his eyes flashing back to the house.

"Sam?" Elena asked, looking at him.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

She didn't press him. If there's one thing she learned about these boys over the past few days, it's that they would tell you something in their own time and not a moment sooner. A popping sound filled the air and Dean handed her a beer.

"Wait." He said, drawing it away from her as she reached out for it. "Are you underage?"

His eyes narrowed at her.

"Yes, Detective Winchester." She said, snatching it out of his hand.

As she took a sip, she fought back laughter at his fake concern over her age. She hadn't even started her senior year and probably never would. She was never going to graduate high school. Therefore she was never going to go to college. But after knowing everything she knew, could she really go back to having such a normal life? It's not like she left Mystic Falls wanting a normal life. But it kind of hurt to know that everything she ever dreamed about for herself: college, graduating, and journalism.

It was all gone. She would never have a happy marriage with little babies in cribs and rocking chairs. It was simply unrealistic to think about. It was scary enough to think about bringing a child into a world with vampires, werewolves, and witches. But now that she found out that it was a much bigger place than she ever thought full of ghosts, demons, angels, and other horrible things that she couldn't even imagine, there was no way it was going to happen now. And this realization was devastating. Before she knew it, tears filled her eyes.

"Elena?" Dean questioned.

He'd obviously been saying something during her self-realization moment.

"Yeah?" she said hoarsely, looking down at her lap.

"Hey." He murmured, leaning forward and catching sight of the glistening tears on her cheeks.

Dean moved to stand in front of her and lifted her face to look at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I never even graduated high school." She whimpered, her lip trembling.

"So? Neither did I. Join the high school dropout club. We have beer, apparently." He said, holding up his own bottle.

The joke did not give him the desired effect as she let out a soft sob.

"I can never have a normal life. My chance for a normal life ended when my parents' car drove off that bridge." She cried.

Now he was stunned into silence.

"Elena, out of all of us, I think you have the most chance for a normal life. There is nothing keeping you here." Dean said, gesturing to the house.

"No, trust me I know myself. I could never live in a white picket fence life knowing all that I know. I could never forgive myself if I chose to be so selfish as to ignore everything. Especially now with this apocalypse shit happening. Who could ignore that?" Elena said, shaking her head.

Dean stared at her for a moment, taking in what she said with awe.

"It wouldn't be selfish, Elena. It would be normal." he assured her.

"It would be selfish! If I can help people and I choose not to, that would be horrible of me." she said, taking a deep breath.

"Hey." He said, taking her face in his hands. "If you want a normal life, all you have to do is say the word. You can run away from all of this. I wouldn't blame you. You don't have to be in this life."

She put the beer down on the hood and her hands came up to grasp his wrists.

"Why do you have to be in this life?" she murmured.

"Because I was raised to do this. This is my life and it's what I choose to do. You don't have to choose it." he assured her.

She remained silent, staring into his striking green eyes. It took them a moment to realize that they were mere inches away from each other. Elena opened her mouth to say something else but the door to the house opened and they both turned to see Sam standing there. Dean stepped away from Elena automatically as he peered out at them.

"What's going on?" He asked, walking towards them with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets.

Dean glanced at Elena before handing his brother a beer. They both leaned against the Impala on either side of her.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked both of them, noticing that something was off. "What's wrong?

"So... you got no problem believing in... God and Angels?" Dean asked, knowing that it was time to tell Sam.

Elena watched them both carefully.

"No, not really." Sam shrugged, taking a drink of his beer.

"I guess that means that you believe in the Devil." The older brother said carefully.

Sam frowned at him, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Why are you asking me all this?"

* * *

**Three Days Later**

Elena stepped up, her eyes straight forward as she steeled herself. Dean was standing just behind her, his breath tickling her cheek. His hand closed around hers, lifting it up to point forward. She steadied her body, pushing away her nerves and emotions.

"One hand." He said, touching the other as if to remind her to keep it at her side. "Turn sideways."

Elena allowed him to position her, turning her head to face the target.

"Look along your shoulder, focus on where you want to hit." Dean instructed, moving in right behind her. "It's all in the breathing, keep it steady and you'll concentrate better."

Elena took a deep breath, nodding once. His other hand closed around her hip, keeping her steady as he aligned her arm perfectly.

"Hold the gun firmly but don't grip it. When you're ready…" Dean reached up, cocking the handgun for her. "… squeeze the trigger gently."

She inhaled deeply, forcing herself not to concentrate on how close Dean was to her. Instead she narrowed her eyes at the target, focusing on that as she gently pulled the trigger. Dean steadied her body as it fired, keeping her from stumbling. They both squinted against the sunlight and saw that it was mere inches from the center. Elena grinned, turning to face Dean only to see that he was smiling as well.

"Let's move on." he said.

By the house, Bobby and Sam watched as he pulled her backwards a few more feet.

"Learning how to shoot in a damn dress." The older hunter said, shaking his head.

Sam laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

"I have a feeling she'll keep surprising us." He said.

"Oh I know she will." Bobby nodded.

Elena shot again, hitting even closer to the bulls eye. When she hit it perfectly five times in a row, Dean changed her around to the fence. Lined up were ten empty bottles of beer.

"Hit as many as you can." He said, stepping away.

Elena went through what he told her to do, concentrating on the bottles. One by one, she shattered them all with a bullet straight to the center of the thicker part of the bottle. When they were all gone, Bobby and Sam both let out impressed whistles. She punched the air and Dean laughed as she turned to beam at him.

"You're a damn good shooter, if I may say so." he said, taking the gun from her and emptying the clip.

"Well, I happen to have a damn good teacher." Elena said, nudging his shoulder.

Dean shrugged, nodding agreement as she laughed and walked back up to the house with him. Bobby and Sam looked up as they entered.

"She's shaping up pretty good." Sam commented.

"Yep." Dean nodded in agreement as he looked at her. "Like she's meant to hold a gun."

Elena flushed under their compliments as she drank out of a bottle of water.

"I'm running into town for a supply run." Bobby said.

"I'll go." Sam volunteered.

They all stared at him questioningly.

"If you insist." Bobby said, watching as Sam grabbed Dean's keys and the list from Bobby.

They watched him go, Dean looking suspicious as he saw his brother pull away.

"I'm gonna go get some shut eye." Bobby informed them. "This research is taking it out of me."

They nodded, watching as he walked off. Dean began to say something as he turned but cut off.

"Shit!" he cursed.

Elena turned and dropped her empty bottle as she saw Castiel standing there staring at them.

"What the hell?" Dean demanded.

"Listen to me." The angel said, stepping forward. "You have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Elena asked.

Castiel reached out, pressing his fingers to their foreheads before they could react. Suddenly they felt like they'd been thrusted into a small tube as their feet left the ground.

* * *

Elena put a hand in front of her eyes, squinting through the sunlight as she glanced around. She caught sight of a bench several feet away and hurried towards it, hoping that Dean might be able to explain what the hell just happened. A cop was bent over him shaking him awake

"Move it buddy… you can't sleep here." He said as Dean squinted up at him.

"Okay... sleep... where?" he mumbled.

"Anywhere but here." The officer said before walking off.

Dean sat up just as Elena reached him.

"What the hell?" he said, standing up and rubbing his forehead.

Elena shrugged, feeling a twinge of pain in her temples.

"I've never seen this place before in my life." she said, glancing around the small town square.

Dean pulled out his phone, dialing a number before trying to make a call. The phone simply beeped several times before going silent. They stared at it with confusion.

"Perfect." Dean sighed, glancing around.

"Let's go in here." Elena said, gesturing to a diner that was right in front of them.

They walked in, focused on sitting down. Dean sat next to a handsome young man and Elena was on the other side of him.

"Hey, where the hell are we?" he questioned, leaning over to the man.

"Jay Bird's Diner." He answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, thanks. I mean, uh... city and state." Dean said, looking at him with an apologetic look.

The young man looked up at them, his eyes flickering past Dean to Elena with an incredulous look. She shrugged, smiling slightly as if she could make him think they were less crazy.

"Lawrence, Kansas." He answered slowly.

Dean's eyes widened and he turned, glancing at Elena.

"Lawrence." He breathed, looking out the window.

"Hey, you okay?" the man asked.

"Yeah, tough night." Dean nodded as Elena looked at him questioningly.

"Hey, uh, two coffees here, Reg." he said, gesturing to the man behind the counter.

"Okay, coming right up."

Elena squinted, noticing something strange. She looked around the bar, her eyes widening as she took in the other inhabitants.

"Dean…" she whispered.

He was paying attention, showing the young man his phone.

"Can you tell me where I can get reception on this thing?" he asked.

The young man let out a huff that might have been a laugh.

"The USS Enterprise?"

Dean frowned at him as Elena tried to get his attention.

"Thanks... nice threads." Dean commented, looking amused. "You know Sonny and Cher broke up, right?"

They both stared at him strangely as Elena winced and looked away.

"Sonny and Cher broke up?" the young man asked.

Dean paused, glancing around the diner. Everyone was dressed in 1970s era clothing. Elena pushed a newspaper over between them and they both glanced down at it. There was a headline about Nixon resigning and the date read April 30, 1973. Dean looked up at her with wide eyes and she shook her head, her expression just as stunned. The bell rang as the door opened behind them

"Hey, Winchester."

Elena, Dean, and the young man sitting next to them all turned around. The man headed past them to shake hands with the stranger. They both watched as they greeted each other.

"Son of a bitch. How you doing, Corporal?" the new man said.

"Hey, Mr. D." he grinned up at the man.

"I heard you were back."

"Yeah, a little while now." The young man said.

"Good to have you home, John, damn good." He nodded at him.

Dean looked shocked, staring at the young man.

"Dad?" he whispered.

Elena looked at the face of the young man, realizing that she could see a few similarities between him and the hunter sitting next to him. This was Sam and Dean's father.

"Well, say hello to your old man for me." Mr. D said, nodding at John.

"You got it, Mr. D. " he said, grinning at him just before he walked away.

When John caught sight of them staring at him with wide eyes, he looked back warily.

"Do we know each other?" he asked.

"I guess not." Dean breathed.

John shook his head, standing up and throwing money on the counter.

"Take it easy, pal." He said. "Ma'am."

Elena nodded at him as Dean muttered out a shocked response. They turned to watch as he left, Dean jumping up once he was out of sight.

"Dean!" Elena moved to follow him, hurrying out of the restaurant.

She received strange looks for her attire, which was ironic since most of the people were wearing bell-bottom jeans. Dean didn't stop and Elena walked beside him as they followed John down the road. When he turned a corner, they glanced around before doing the same only to come face-to-face with Castiel.

"What is this?" Dean demanded immediately.

"What does it look like?" Castiel replied.

"Is it real?" Elena questioned, looking around.

"Very." The angel confirmed.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at him.

"Okay, so what? Angels got their hands on some Deloreans? How did we get here?" he asked.

Castiel sighed, glancing at the space around them.

"Time is fluid, Dean. It's not easy, but we can bend it on occasion." He explained.

"Well bend it back or tell me what the hell we're doing here!" Dean snapped.

"I told you, you have to stop it." Castiel reiterated.

"Stop what? Huh?" Dean snapped. "What, is there something nasty after my dad?"

A large car horn sounded and they both turned around to see what was going on. When they turned back, Castiel was gone.

"Oh, come on! What, are you allergic to straight answers, you son of a bitch?" Dean yelled.

"Dean." Elena hushed him, grabbing his arm. "Let's go."

They moved forward, walking after John where he was far ahead of them now.

* * *

"A fine young man like yourself, just starting out?" the car salesman said, looking John up and down. "How about I take off another 250?"

John considered it for a moment, glancing over at the van with an appraising look.

"Let's do it." he said, smiling slightly.

"I'll get the paperwork." The salesman said, looking thrilled.

John walked to the VW van and rubbed the headlight as he inspected it.

"That's not the one you want."

He turned around, looking to see Dean and Elena leaning against the front of another car.

"You following me?" he demanded.

"No, no." Dean shook his head.

"We were just passing by." Elena said, stepping forward to keep the peace. "We never got to thank you for that cup of coffee this morning."

John nodded, looking as though he trusted her a bit more than Dean. That was more ironic than anything else considering she wasn't his flesh and blood.

"I was a little out of it." Dean said.

"More than a little." John agreed.

"Let me repay the favor." Dean offered, patting the hood of the Impala. "This is the one you want."

"Oh yeah, you… you know something about cars?" he asked, walking forward to stand beside the car.

Elena stood back, watching the two. Dean nodded, looking slightly sad.

"Yeah... yeah, my dad taught me everything I know." He confirmed. "And this… this is a great car."

He opened the hood of the Impala and leaned in. John joined him, hardly able to resist. Elena smiled slightly, almost able to see them as father and son both leaning in and fixing it up together.

"327 four barrel, 275 horses. A little TLC and this thing is cherry." Dean said, pointing out the car's features.

"You know man, you're right." John nodded, looking at the engine of the Impala as though he would begin drooling any second.

"Then what are you buying that thing for?" Dean asked, looking at the VW van with thinly veiled disgust.

"I kinda promised someone I would." John sighed, glancing over at it.

"A girl?" Elena asked, smiling as she walked forward.

He blushed and she knew that she was right.

"A girl? Over a '67 Chevy? I mean, come on, this is the car of a lifetime." Dean tried to convince him. "Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's forty."

John stared at Dean, considering it for a moment.

"John Winchester. Thanks." He said, sounding truly grateful.

Dean shook his hand, nodding at him.

"Dean Van Halen… and thank you."

Elena rolled her eyes at his choice of name. When John glanced over at her, she smiled at him.

"Elena…"

Dean shook his head at her behind his back and she sighed.

"Elena Perry."

"Nice to meet you." John said politely.

He turned to look in the windows of the Impala as Dean hovered on the other side of the car.

"I was in pretty rough shape this morning, huh?" he said.

"No kidding." John scoffed.

"I've been hung over before but, hey, I was, I was getting chills in that diner. You didn't feel any of those cold spots, did you?" Dean asked hopefully.

Elena rolled her eyes, unwilling to watch his ridiculous attempt at interrogating his father.

"Nope." John said simply.

"I swore I smelled something weird too, you know? Like... like rotten eggs. You didn't happen to smell any sulfur by chance?"

The other man stared up at him strangely, obviously wondering if Dean was insane again.

"No."

"No..." Dean nodded. "There been any cattle mutilations in town recently?"

"Okay, mister! Stop it." John said, looking at him with a frown.

"Yeah, if only I knew what to stop." Dean sighed, stepping away from the car.

Elena knew that this was their cue to leave.

"Listen, uh… watch out for yourself okay?"

"Yeah, sure." John nodded, staring at both of them with a strange look.

Elena glanced back as they walked away to see the car salesman walk back up to him.

"So?"

John looked at him, glancing at the van before pointing at the Impala.

"I'll take this one." He said, smiling at him.

* * *

Dean and Elena hurried down the street.

"What are we doing? He's going to be in a car now." Elena reminded him.

"I know." Dean said, stopping at a car.

He tried the handle and grinned over at her when it opened.

"Stealing?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The hunter lifestyle. Come on." Dean said, climbing in.

Elena watched as he hotwired the car, glancing up to see John pulling out of the car dealership in the Impala. Dean got it started and pulled out, following him at a distance. Thirty minutes later, they parked several houses down and watched as John pulled up to a nice home. A young blonde woman ran out with a grin as he climbed out.

"Hey." John said, beaming at her.

"What's this?" she said, circling the Impala.

"My car." He said proudly.

John followed her as she walked around the car.

"What happened to the van?" the female asked.

"Mary, this is better than the van! This has got a 327, a four barrel carburetor." John said excitedly.

Dean's hands tightened on the steering wheel and Elena looked at him with concern.

"It's my mom." he whispered.

* * *

"This is creepy." Elena said.

Dean didn't answer, watching through the window of the diner where his parents were drinking milkshakes and laughing together.

"Look at them, though." Dean breathed.

They both had bright smiles and looked completely in love as they stared at each other.

"I'm going to go get us some food." Elena said, catching sight of a convenience store. "Keep spying on your parents."

Dean handed her money from his wallet. She patted his arm before walking across the road and into the store.

"Sammy, wherever you are, Mom is a babe." Dean said, keeping his eyes on the beautiful blonde.

His face fell and he sighed.

"I'm going to hell... again."

Elena browed the aisles of the convenience store, picking out whatever she could recognize. When she went up to the counter, the clerk looked her up and down with leering eyes.

"Just these please." She said through gritted teeth, slamming her items on the counter.

He looked up at her and nodded with the same creepy smile, ringing her up. Elena kept a disgusted look on her face, snatching the bag and change away from him before turning to walk out. When she looked up to cross the street, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Dean being dragged backwards and thrown against the wall. Elena ran across, skidding to a stop when she saw Dean's mother struggling as he held her against the bricks. He was staring at her charm bracelet in shock.

"Are you a hunter?" he breathed, seeing the pentagram.

* * *

"See you later?" John asked as Mary climbed out of his car.

"If you're lucky." She said with a smile, leaning into his car to kiss him.

John drove off as she walked up to the house. Dean moved out of the shadows with Elena following him.

"Dean, right? And Elena?" Mary said, looking between them. "I'm not sure you should come in."

"You can trust us. I mean, come on, we're all hunters, right?" Dean shrugged. "I mean, we're… we're practically family."

Elena remained silent, not entirely sure how she felt about this. If Dean slipped up and accidentally said something, it might be disastrous.

"Yeah, thing is, my Dad, he's a little, um..." Mary searched for the right word.

"Oh, I gotta meet him." Dean said too quickly and Elena winced as she looked at him with suspicion.

"You've heard of him?" she questioned.

"Clearly not enough." he said.

"He doesn't trust other hunters. Especially ones who bring their girlfriends." Mary informed him, glancing at Elena.

They glanced at each other before looking back at her with wide eyes.

"We're not together." Elena and Dean said at the same time.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded doubtfully.

"C'mon." Dean said, stepping forward with a pleading look.

Mary hesitated before nodding, walking up to the door. Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of Samuel who was cleaning out a rifle. Elena knew that he meant it to be threatening but both of them just stood there watching him.

"So, you're a hunter? Well, tell me something, mister hunter, you kill vampires with wooden stakes or silver?" he asked, glancing up at Dean.

"Neither, you cut their heads off." Dean said.

Elena opened her mouth to argue but he dug his elbow into her side and she glared over at him. Mary smiled, looking amused at her father's interrogation.

"So, did I pass your test?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Yep. Now get out of my house." Samuel said, standing up.

"Dad!" Mary protested.

"I don't trust other hunters, Dean, don't want their help, don't want them around my family. Especially not ones who bring their girlfriends along."

Mary threw them a triumphant look as they both began to stutter out denials.

"Knock it off, Samuel." Mary's mother said, walking in.

"He's a hunter." Samuel argued.

"Who passed your little pop quiz, and now I am inviting him to dinner. Are you hungry? Your girlfriend must be. She's a little stick of a thing."

Elena flushed as she looked down at her feet.

"Starving." Dean nodded, trying to ignore all of the assumptions that they were together.

"Good." She nodded. "I'm Deanna, you've met my husband Samuel, now wash up."

Dean hesitated as Elena lifted her head and quickly figured it out in her head.

"Samuel and Deanna?" he questioned warily.

Mary nodded before turning to walk into the kitchen.

"Really?" Dean huffed, turning to face her.

Elena was trying not to smile and she had to hold herself back from teasing him.

"One word to Sam…" he began, pointing at her.

"My lips are sealed." Elena said, putting her hands up in surrender.

Dean looked relieved as she passed him.

"For now."

* * *

Elena realized just how hungry she was when she started eating and she had to fight the urge to eat quickly. Dean was doing the same, eating slowly despite the fact that he wanted to eat everything. Deanna looked over at them questioningly, obviously wanting to make conversation.

"First time in Lawrence?" she asked.

"I've been here before but Elena hasn't. Well, it's been a while. Things sure have changed... I think." He said, trying to say it right.

"You working a job?" Samuel asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said, looking down at his plate.

Samuel raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's that mean?"

"It means I don't trust other hunters either, Samuel." Dean said, looking up at him.

The females all stared between them before Mary finally broke the awkward silence.

"Hey, um, so why were you following me and John?" she asked.

"Mmm, I thought something was after your, um, boyfriend, but um, I don't think that anymore." Dean said, shaking his head.

Deanna smiled slightly.

"John Winchester mixing it up with spirits, can you imagine?"

Elena caught sight of Samuel grimacing for a moment, a gesture that wasn't missed by Mary either.

"I saw that." she said, putting her fork down.

"What?" Samuel asked.

"That sour lemon look." Mary snapped.

"Now hold on, John's a really, really nice... naive civilian." Samuel said, smirking slightly.

"So what? You'd rather me be with a guy like this?" Mary demanded, nodding at Dean.

Elena choked on her water as Dean's eyes widened comically.

"What? No, no." he said, shaking his head. "No."

Deanna patted Elena's back and leaned over.

"Don't worry, Dean is all yours. Mary would never go for him."

Elena wheezed and tried to refuse but she couldn't speak.

"Mary, of course not, it's just that I…" Samuel began.

"That's enough, both of you, we have company." Deanna interrupted him, giving them both severe looks.

There was silence for several more moments as Elena tried to control her breathing.

"So what about you, Samuel, you, uh, working a job?" Dean asked, trying to return the conversation to civil waters.

"Might be." the older male shrugged, using a response similar to Dean's.

Dean frowned as Mary glared at her father.

"He's working a job on the Whitshire Farm."

Samuel gave her a look as Dean cleared his throat and put his fork down.

"Whitshire, why does that name sound familiar to me?" he asked.

"It was in the paper." Elena remembered. "Someone died."

Samuel looked at her with surprise.

"Tom Whitshire." He nodded. "Got tangled up in a combine a few towns over."

"That kinda thing happens." Dean said obviously, shrugging at the information.

"So why was he on it in the first place when his crops are all dead?" Samuel challenged him, leaning forward slightly.

"Demonic omens?" Dean asked, cocking his head to the side.

"That's what I gotta find out." Samuel said.

"What about the rest of the town? Well, did you find anything on the web?" Dean asked, realizing his mistake too late considering that the 'web' had never been invented.

They all looked at him strangely and Elena chose that time to speak up.

"Of information that you have assembled." She finished for him, smiling at them as she covered his mistake.

Deanna looked between them skeptically.

"Electrical storms, maybe. The weather service graphs should be here on Friday." She said.

"By mail?" Dean asked, sounding as though it were some insane concept.

"No we hired a jet liner to fly 'em to us overnight." Samuel said without missing a beat.

Elena hid her smile at his sarcasm behind her glass of water. Dean looked stunned for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

"You know it sounds to me like we might be hunting the same thing. You know if we go there in numbers, we could take care of this real quick." He offered.

"What part of "we work alone" do you not understand, son?"

Dean nodded, sitting back as he folded his napkin. It was clear that the conversation and the dinner were over then and there. Elena copied his movements, setting the napkin underneath her plate and standing with him.

"Real sorry to have bothered you." Dean said, holding out his hand to shake Samuel's.

When they were done with the polite part of the farewell, Deanna walked them to the door.

"I'm sorry about my husband." She apologized.

"It's fine, Miss Campbell. I know what it's like to have someone to protect." Dean said, nodding at her.

Deanna nodded and smiled.

"You keep taking care of her." she said, closing the door behind them.

"What the hell was that about?" Dean grumbled, kicking at a rock on the ground.

"No offense, but your grandfather is kind of an ass." Elena said, hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"No not that. You're right but…" Dean glanced over at her as they reached the car. "What was with them thinking we're together?"

Elena felt warmth in her cheeks.

"Oh." She said, averting her eyes. "I have no idea."

She climbed into the car before either of them could say anything else and the ride to the motel was uncomfortably silent.

* * *

Elena glanced up, watching as Dean set a bag on his bed.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Supplies for tomorrow. I managed to find a few guns."

He took a handgun out and tossed it to her along with a box of ammo.

"I have no idea what we're dealing with here so I want you to have that on hand at all times."

Elena nodded, setting on the bedside table.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm…" Dean glanced up, cutting off before he said 'fine'.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on his breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm overwhelmed." He admitted.

"Anyone would be." Elena nodded. "At least you get the chance to maybe save your mom or dad."

Dean nodded, swallowing hard before standing up.

"I'm exhausted." He said.

"Me too." Elena agreed.

She wasn't terribly happy about sleeping in her dress but Castiel hadn't given them a chance to grab clothing before they left and she certainly wasn't sleeping in her under things with Dean in the next bed. Dean noticed the same thing, peeling his over shirt off before lifting his t-shirt over his head.

"Here." He handed it to her and she looked up at him with surprise. "It's the least I can do."

Elena took it, feeling the warmth from his body still on the fabric.

"Thank you." she said, climbing out of the bed and moving into the bathroom.

She stripped her dress off before pulling the t-shirt over her head. It came to just above mid-thigh, covering plenty so that Elena was more comfortable in sleeping now. She walked out, climbing into the bed. Dean was already lying down, staring up at the ceiling.

"I wish I knew what I had to stop." He sighed.

Elena turned over, giving him a sympathetic look.

"We." She said.

He looked over at her, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"I'm here too, Dean. I'm with you on this." she said.

Dean looked at her with an unrecognizable emotion before it was gone. He smiled at her, nodding before he turned to switch the lamp off.

* * *

Elena jerked awake, sitting up straight in the bed. She looked wildly, trying to figure out where she was. When everything came rushing back to her, she remembered that she was in a motel room in Lawrence, Kansas in 1973. Just saying those words in her mind made her feel insane.

"You all right?" Dean asked from the bathroom.

He stepped out and was fully dressed. But he wasn't dressed in just anything. He was in a priest's outfit. Elena choked back a startled laugh as she stared at him.

"Isn't that sacrilegious or something?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him when she finally got her voice back.

"It gets people to trust me." he shrugged, checking his appearance in the mirror.

"Well excuse me if I stand back so the lightning doesn't hit me too." She said, standing up to walk in the bathroom.

"You're very funny." He said sarcastically.

"I think I've got a certain wit about me." she said, grinning at him over her shoulder before disappearing into the small bathroom.

After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, Dean knocked on the door.

"I'm heading out to the farm. I'll be back soon." He announced.

"I'll be here." She replied, turning to turn on the shower.

The water was lukewarm and getting colder the longer she was in there so Elena was quick to wash off before climbing out and wrapping a towel around her. When she opened the door to grab her dress, she jumped when she saw the figure in the room. She immediately recognized the tan trenchcoat and sighed with relief, clutching the towel tighter around her body.

"Hey, Castiel." She said, picking up her hand to wave at him as her heart rate went back to normal.

He turned and immediately crossed the room to stand in front of her. He was a bit close for comfort, his body mere inches from hers so that she could feeling the warmth exuding from him.

"Castiel…" she said, looking anywhere but at him.

"Yes?" he replied.

"You are standing really close to me and… well… I'm in a towel." Elena said, looking over his shoulder at the wall.

"Yes, that is why I came." The angel said, his voice even as if there was nothing strange about what he just said.

Her eyes flew to his in shock.

"You came… because I'm a towel?" she questioned, unsure of how to react to that piece of information.

"Yes." He backed away slightly and she inhaled deeply, a little less uncomfortable with the situation. "I have spent an extended amount of time watching humans over these past few days. I've noticed that there are many intricacies within their behavior, including the need to change clothes quite off. I realized that I did not supply you and Dean with the means to do that, so I brought your possessions."

He gestured to her bed where her backpack and Dean's duffle bag were sitting as well as her purse.

"Thank you." she said, touched by his kind gesture even if he thought it was nothing to be appreciated.

"Why did you let Dean go investigate alone? I sent you here to remain with him." Castiel questioned, becoming serious and detached again.

"He wanted to go alone." Elena said, walking over to pull out some clothes.

"Dean is often a stubborn human and he will try to convince you that he can handle situations alone. I did not lead you to him so that he could be going off alone and putting himself at risk. You have no idea what he's hunting, Elena." Castiel said.

Elena glared at the mirror as she closed the door until just a crack of it was open as she dressed in her clothing.

"Why did you lead me to him, Castiel?" She called through he door. "Why did you send me here? Why is it so important for me to be around Dean?"

"There is a plan and you are involved in it." Castiel said, realizing that he might have said too much.

She poked her head out, narrowing her eyes at him.

"That might work on Dean and even Sam but it's not going to work on me. If you want me to be a part of your plan, you need to tell me something."

Castiel squinted back at her as she disappeared into the bathroom once more. Elena remembered something, wondering if it was connected to what he was saying.

"Does it have something to do with how I healed Dean's bruise after the witnesses?" she asked as she buttoned her shirt up. "Because I tried to convince myself that I was insane for even thinking that it might have happened."

There was no answer and Elena waited for a moment before walking out of the bathroom to see Castiel staring at her with wide eyes.

"You healed him?" he asked.

"I think so. I mean, the bruise was there one minute and gone the next. I don't know what the hell happened. Maybe I was seeing things." she shrugged, sitting on her bed to pull her shoes on.

"No, you were not seeing things." Castiel said.

Elena stopped, staring up at him.

"Then I did heal him?" she asked.

He nodded once and she sighed.

"How?" she asked. "Why and how and what the hell?"

Castiel sighed and tugged at his overcoat.

"I am not without limits, Elena. There are people that I answer to and they have instructed me to keep certain things quiet until they are ready to be revealed." He admitted.

"I'm not asking for you to tell me the whole story, Castiel. I'm asking for something. Something to tell me that I'm not crazy and that I was actually brought out of my life in Mystic Falls for a good reason." She said desperately, brushing her hair out with her fingertips.

Castiel looked at her once more.

"I believe the apocalypse is a good reason." He said.

"There are a thousand other people who are way more qualified to deal with that than me. Why me, Castiel? What is going on?" she asked.

He looked conflicted, glancing around before looking back at her.

"You have… certain abilities."

"Healing?" she said.

"Yes… and no." he said.

She sighed and dropped her hands, staring at him with an annoyed look.

"What does that even mean?" Elena demanded.

"No in the way that you cannot go up to a random stranger on a street and heal any wound or illness they might have. There are guidelines." Castiel said, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Okay?" she said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Your abilities were awoken when you were brought back after the ritual that the vampire performed." He said, a bit of disgust escaping from his voice as he said the world, 'vampire'.

"Because of the spell that Bonnie did?" she asked.

He shook his head, squinting slightly.

"The spell was dark magic. She didn't know it, but if the spell would have raised you, there would have been very dark consequences. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop her and your father ended up dying because of that."

"Wait, if the spell didn't raise me… what did?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked at her expectantly, as if the answer was obvious.

"You?" she breathed, her eyes widening.

"That is also why the dreams began. Even though I did not brand you physically as I did Dean, I still left my mark on you. It was intentional. I needed you to see the dreams as a sign so that you would go after him. That was when I began to lead you to him." Castiel explained.

"Why was it so important that I find him?" Elena asked.

Castiel looked away.

"Will you be… punished… or something… if you tell me?" she asked hesitantly.

"There is a plan, Elena. And it does not include you finding out about everything so early on. I'm sorry but I cannot tell you anything more." He said, standing up.

"Just tell me if it's a good thing." Elena said quickly, jumping up before he could disappear.

"A good thing?" he questioned, turning around with his brow furrowed at her confusing question.

"The last time I was told that I was destined for something, I turned out to be the key to creating one of the worst monsters in the world. Please tell me that I am not going to make something bad happen again." She pleaded.

He stared at her.

"Whatever anyone might have told you in the past, Elena, you were not meant to create or cultivate evil from your birth. You were meant for more. You were created to be an irreplaceable helping hand to the Winchester brothers."

Elena stared at him, processing the information as he said it.

"You keep saying… created… as if you had something to do with it." she said slowly, her mind full of questions that she knew the angel would not answer.

Castiel gave her a knowledgeable look.

"Like I said, we have a plan." He said before disappearing into the air.

Elena stared at the spot where he disappeared, sitting down with a sigh as she considered everything. If it was true, if she was created by the angels to help Dean and Sam stop the apocalypse or whatever, then her life was not what she thought. She was not someone merely created to bring misery. If it was true, there was new hope to her life. Elena dug through her backpack, sighing with relief when she saw her favorite Jane Austen novel shoved in the bottom. At least she had something to do. Several hours later, she was pulled from her reading by a frantic knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Mary standing there with wide, panicked eyes.

"It's Dean." she said.

That's all Elena needed to hear before she grabbed the key to the motel room and Dean's duffle, knowing he would probably want to change out of the priest garb and locked up, following Mary out. They climbed into Samuel's truck and she peeled out of the parking lot.

"What's going on?" Elena asked as Mary sped over to her house.

"I don't know. We went to the Whitshire house and found Dean there. We talked to the farmer's son and he admitted to meeting this man. It became obvious that the strange man was a demon when he said that he would come back in ten years to collect something from the son. But the kid said that it didn't have black eyes like most demons do. It had yellow eyes. Dean left immediately, ranting about a 'son of a bitch yellow eyed demon'. I think he knows who the demon is." Mary said.

Elena wasn't sure of what to say. She hadn't heard anything about a yellow-eyed demon from either of the brothers or Bobby. When they arrived at the house, she jumped out of the car and ran up to the door, carrying Dean's bag. Mary was close behind her. She could hear him ranting as soon as Deanna opened the door and gestured for her to come inside. Following his voice was easy enough. Just as she came in, Dean was slamming a map down on the dining room table.

"What do you say we just slow down and talk this thing through?" Samuel said, standing a few feet away from him.

"There's nothing to talk about." Dean growled.

"Except you're saying it's a demon, and none of us has ever heard of a demon with yellow eyes." Samuel argued.

Elena walked forward, standing beside Dean.

"Yeah, well, I have. This thing killed my family."

Elena stared at him with shock. She knew that his parents were dead but she had no idea how it happened.

"Just calm down, son." Samuel said, moving forward.

"You don't get it, do you?" Dean snapped, turning to face him. "You are in danger, we are all in danger. In fact, you need to get yourself someplace safe."

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here." The other hunter said.

Deanna walked in carrying a fruit salad, setting it on the table.

"Sam's right, Dean, it could be a demon, it could be a shapeshifter, it could be any number of things." she said.

"I know what this thing is!" He yelled and she sighed, turning to walk back in the kitchen. "And I'm gonna kill it, that's all the talking I need to do."

His eyes flickered to Elena's and she knew that he was wondering if she was still with him. She nodded once, indicating that she was.

"You're gonna kill a demon? How?" Samuel scoffed.

"There's a hunter named Daniel Elkins. He lives in Colorado, he has Colt's gun. The Colt." Dean said.

"Yeah, I heard about the Colt, used to tell it to Mary as a bedtime story." Samuel said skeptically.

Elena looked around to see that Mary had disappeared off somewhere.

"Well, it's real." Dean said.

Deanna was leaning in the doorway and Samuel glanced over at her. Elena knew that neither of them knew what to think.

"Alright, say that it is. You got some kind of crystal ball telling you where this demon's gonna be?" he demanded.

Dean let out a curse.

"My dad's journal. It's back at home."

Elena hoisted the duffle bag up and set it on the table. He looked at her with a wide-eyed, grateful expression. He dug through it and pulled out his father's journal, flipping through it.

"What's this?" Samuel asked.

"It's a list." Dean said, laying down the journal and scanning his eyes down it.

"Of what?" Elena asked.

"My Dad wrote down anyone he thought ever came in contact with the Yellow Eyed Demon: who, where and when." He answered.

"Why?" Sam questioned.

"Cause the more he could learn about the son of a bitch, the more he could figure out why it killed my mom."

He flipped the page and nodded, pointing.

"Look, Whitshire Farm. I told you that name sounded familiar." He said.

Elena bent over to read it.

"Whitshire Farms, that was two days ago. How the hell is that on your dad's list?" Samuel demanded.

"Uh... my Dad could see the future." Dean lied, looking shifty. "Look at this, it says he's gonna hit here tomorrow night."

"Liddy Walsh?" Samuel questioned, squinting at the name.

"Haleyville, that's close." Dean nodded, pointing at the map.

"I mean, yeah, it's about three miles, but..." Samuel glanced over at Deanna once again.

She shook her head slightly, obviously not believing the story.

"I know you guys think I'm crazy." Dean sighed.

"You seem like a really nice kid, Dean, but yeah, you're crazy."

"Yeah, maybe, but I know where this bastard's gonna be, and I'm gonna stop it, once and for all." Dean decided.

He grabbed the journal and the bag, walking out of the room. Deanna directed him to a bathroom when he asked for it. Elena stared at the ground but she could feel the judgmental looks that the other two were giving her. She sighed, drifting off and down the hallway. When she passed by a room and heard music, she backpedaled to see Mary sitting on her bed listening to a record player.

"Is everything okay?" the blonde asked, sitting up straighter.

"Yeah, Dean and I are going to go after this demon." Elena nodded. "You don't have to worry about it anymore."

Mary sighed and looked down at her hands.

"You must think I'm crazy, turning my back on all this saving people business for a boy." She said. "I mean, you are with Dean and you still hunt with him."

Elena shook her head, not bothering to correct her again.

"You're not crazy. You're normal. It's okay to want a normal life. But… for some people it's just not an option. I think that you should go for it, have the life you want. No one should be able to decide for you." she said.

Mary glanced up at her, a slight smile on her lips. Dean suddenly joined her at the door, peeking in on Mary.

"We're shoving off." he said.

Elena nodded, pushing away from the door. She stopped when he hovered there.

"I just wanted to say, bye."

"So soon? You could stay for dinner." Mary suggested.

"Yeah… job to do." Dean shrugged as Elena stood beside him. "Hey, I wanted to… to tell you, you know for what it's worth. Um... it doesn't matter what your Dad thinks, I like that John kid."

Mary beamed at him, standing up to walk closer.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think you two are meant to be." he confirmed, emotion thick in his voice. "Hell, I'm depending on it."

The second part was softer but Mary still heard it.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Nothing." Dean shook his head. "Um, can I ask you a question?"

Mary nodded, inviting him to ask whatever he wanted.

"What's he like? John." He said.

Elena's eyes flickered to his face to see that he was holding back his twisting emotions.

"Why do you ask?" Mary asked.

"Just curious." He shrugged.

"I don't know. He's sweet, kind. Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after, you know? He's everything a hunter isn't." she paused, looking ashamed. "No offense."

"No, none taken." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Can I tell you something?" Mary said, looking between them.

They both nodded.

"He's gonna ask me to marry him." she said, a grin pulling at her lips. "Tomorrow, I think!"

"Yeah?" Dean said, smiling at her.

"That's great." Elena breathed, feeling happy for the teenage Mary Winchester that she saw in front of her.

"Oh, Dad's gonna explode, but I don't care." She shook her head. "I'll run away if I have to, I just… I love John, and..."

"And what?" Dean pushed.

"I wanna get out." Mary sighed. "This job, this life, I hate it. I want a family, I wanna be safe."

Dean swallowed hard, gritting his teeth. Elena looked up at him, knowing that he had to be taking this hard.

"You know the worst thing I can think of? The very worst thing? Is for my children to be raised into this like I was. No, I won't let it happen." Mary shook her head defiantly.

Dean blinked back tears, taking a shuddering breath as Elena reached down. She slid her hand into his, not caring how it looked to anyone else. He squeezed it gently, steeling himself. Elena felt a lump in her throat and she fought to keep her own tears at bay. To see Dean so affected by this, it was heartbreaking.

"Yeah..." he whispered.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mary asked, stepping forward with concern.

"Yeah, no, I'm… I'm fine." Dean said, forcing himself to speak. "Hey, uh, Mary, can I tell you something?"

"Sure." She nodded.

"Even if this sounds really weird. Will you promise me that you will remember?" he said.

Elena didn't take her eyes off of him, waiting to hear what he would say to her. She already somehow knew what he was going to do but she made no move to stop him.

"Okay." Mary said warily.

"On November 2nd, 1983, don't get out of bed." He said, his voice barely above a whisper with devastation in every word. "No matter what you hear, or what you see. Promise me you won't get out of bed."

Mary frowned but nodded, accepting what he was saying.

"Okay." She said.

One tear ran down his face and he turned to leave, smiling at her once before he did. Their hands disconnected and Elena followed him, knowing now that Dean's life held just as much if not more tragedy than her own did. Suddenly, she understood exactly how he came to be involved in hunting.

* * *

Elena followed Dean into the motel room, watching as he threw his duffle bag on the bed and began rifling through it.

"Dean, I know what you have to do and I agree with it but…"

He turned to look at her with a questioning look.

"What?"

"If you do this, your father, you, Sam… you'll never become hunters. And all those people you saved, they'll die." Elena said, knowing how it would work.

Dean sighed, his shoulders sagging.

"I realize." He nodded.

"And you don't care?" Elena asked, knowing that he had to care.

"Oh, I care. I care a lot, but these are my parents." Dean said, emotion thick in his voice as he looked up at her. "I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't. No, not if I can stop it."

Elena remained silent, nodding. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. Elena opened it to see the motel owner there holding a piece of paper.

"You have a message." He said, handing it to her before walking off.

Elena glanced down at the paper, reading it.

"What is it?" Dean questioned.

"Samuel wants us to stop by one more time before we go." she told him. "He says that he has something that will help us."

He frowned but nodded, moving to walk out. Elena sighed before following him, knowing that they were going to go through with this.

* * *

When they walked into the house, Samuel brought them into the kitchen where Deanna was still making dinner.

"Mary's out." Samuel said. "I think she went to go meet with that boy again."

They didn't say anything.

"What do you have?" Dean asked, impatient to get on the road.

Samuel sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't have anything. I just wanted to get you here. I can't let you do this. If you don't succeed in killing this demon, you start a war right where my family is. I can't have that." he said.

Dean raised his eyebrows, glaring at him.

"You really think you can stop me?" he asked.

"I think I will." Samuel nodded.

Dean looked back at Elena and she knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"Dean…" she said in warning, her eyes widening.

"We have to kill this thing now, or Mary dies." He said.

Elena sighed and pressed her mouth into a thin line. She wasn't an expert on time travel but she was pretty sure that telling someone from the past what happens in the future was a bad idea.

"What? How do you know that?" Samuel demanded, grabbing Dean's shirt.

"I just do, okay?" Dean said.

"He's your grandson." Elena said, knowing that Dean was going to say it whether she did or not.

When they looked at her, Deanna and Samuel looking shocked and Dean looking grateful, she shrugged.

"She's telling the truth. Mary is my mother." Dean said, much to the shock of the older adults in the room.

"You wanna run that by me again, son?" Samuel asked, letting go of Dean and stepping back.

"My real name is Dean Winchester. I was born January 24, 1979. My parents are Mary and John Winchester." He said, looking at Elena for back up as she nodded.

"I don't have to listen to this. Get out of my house. Deanna…" he began to turn to leave.

"Mary gets killed by a yellow eyed demon in 1983, and I think that this – what happened tonight – I think this is the moment that he caught her scent. Now, if we don't catch this thing now, and kill it, and it gets away? Then Mary dies. So I'm asking you, please." Dean said pleadingly, holding his hands out pleadingly.

"Every bone in my body is aching to put you six feet under, but there's something about you… I can't shake it. Now, I may be crazier than you, son, but I believe you." Samuel said hesitantly.

"Thank you." Dean sighed.

"I mean, how do we find this bastard?" the older man asked.

"Right here, the list." Dean said, pointing to it.

"And with the Colt?" Samuel asked.

Dean nodded.

"Well let's go get it." Samuel shrugged.

Dean hesitated, his eyes flashing to Elena.

"I can go get it myself. I don't let anyone else handle the gun." He said.

"I'm your grandfather." Samuel said, sounding as though the word was foreign on his lips.

He stood and crossed to Deanna, throwing his arm over her shoulders. She looked slightly uncomfortable, as if Samuel had done something wrong. When he looked over at Elena, she saw something in his eyes. A strange flash… of yellow. She gasped but found that she was unable to speak or even move at all.

"It's nothing personal." Dean shrugged, closing the journal.

"Sure it is, especially when it's me you're trying to kill." He said, his eyes turning fully yellow.

Suddenly Dean was slammed into the wall. He looked murderous when he realized that the demon was possessing Samuel. The yellow-eyed demon turned and snapped Deanna's neck easily, causing Elena to scream as she got her voice back. She was able to move and she collapsed on her knees next to Deanna, checking her pulse. The demon didn't pay her any mind as he walked towards Dean.

"Future boy, huh? Yeah I could smell something weird all over you and the girl. It shocked me that you never noticed that I wasn't your precious granddaddy." He said tauntingly, reaching out to pat Dean's cheek. "I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places. So, I kill your Mommy? That's why you came all this way? To see little old me?"

"Oh, I came here to kill you." Dean promised him, glaring at him.

The demon ignored him, staring into his eyes.

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your mommy, are you... are you one of my psychic kids?" the demon asked, confusing Elena as she stood to glare at him.

Her eyes flashed around the room for anything that she could find as a weapon. She watched with disgust when the demon leaned in and sniffed Dean.

"No, not you. Maybe you got a sis, or a bro. That's terrific, means it all worked out. After all, it's why I'm here." The demon said, sounding triumphant.

"So that's what this is about, these deals you're making. You don't want these people's souls." Dean realized.

Elena caught sight of a small knife under a few papers on the table. She started to slowly shift towards it so as not to get the demon's attention.

"No, I just want their children. I'm here to choose the perfect parents, like your mommy."

"Why her? Why any of them?" Dean demanded, his face red as he tried to struggle against the demon's hold on him.

"Because they're strong." He said simply. "They're pure, and they eat their Wheaties. My own little master race… they're ideal breeders."

Dean furrowed his brow as Elena made a disgusted face. Who would possibly agree to breed with a demon?

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. No one's breeding with me. Though, Mary? Man, I'd like to make an exception. So far, she's my favorite."

Dean let out a growl and tried to move, unsuccessful in doing so. His eyes met Elena's as she slowly slid the knife out from underneath the papers without making a sound.

"So why make the deals?" Dean asked, trying to distract the demon from catching onto what she was doing.

"I need permission." He said simply. "I need to be invited into their houses. I know, I know, the… the red tape'll drive you nuts, but in ten short years, it'll all be worth it. Cause you know what I'm gonna do to your sibling? I'm gonna stand over their crib and I'm gonna bleed into their mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals… it makes you big and strong."

Elena grimaced, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Did this have something to do with why Dean went to hell for Sam? Did he trade places with him for this demon?

"For what? So they can lead your discount demon army? Is that your big plan?" Dean said, his voice taunting.

"Please, my end game's a hell of a lot bigger than that kid." The demon scoffed, grinning at Dean.

"End game? What end game?" Dean asked, confused.

It threw Elena off. He said that he killed the demon in the future so he must have known what the end game was.

"Like I'm gonna tell you, or those angels sitting on your shoulder. No, I'm gonna cover my tracks good."

"You can cover whatever the hell you want, but I'm still gonna kill you." Dean promised him.

"Right. Now that, I'd like to see." The demon said, leaning in to get uncomfortably close to Dean's face.

"Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, cause I'm the one that kills you." Elena stopped short, catching sight of Dean's face.

It was unlike any face she'd seen on him thusfar. With Castiel, he'd been almost resigned and a bit sad. With the ghosts, he'd been even sadder. But with this demon, there was pure fury radiating from every pore of his body. His eyes were cold and hard, determined. For the first time, Elena fully understood what the term 'hunter' meant. They weren't silly men who killed ghosts and demons for kicks. They were warriors, hardcore and devoted to their path of life. They were passionate and they would kill every evil bastard that got in their way. Elena knew that she should have been scared, seeing the look in Dean's eyes. But for some reason, she felt even more drawn to him, to protect him.

"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right? Is that it? Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save." The demon said, whirling around and stepping forward to grab Elena.

One of his hands wrapped around her throat and the other clasped the wrist of the hand that held the knife. She sputtered and coughed as she tried to take in air. The demon glared into her eyes, tightening his hold around her wrist. She stared at him with shock as he began to guide the blade to his own chest. As the knife slowly dug into his heart, Elena cried out while Dean yelled at the demon to stop. When the blade was buried in his chest, the demon grinned at Elena.

Then he threw her into the air and she hit the wall with a crash, coming down hard on her side. Pain radiated through her arm and she cried out in pain as she felt a warm liquid spreading through her shirt. Something had been underneath her when she landed and it was currenly slicing into her stomach. She struggled up to a sitting position to see that she'd landed on a chair and broken it. One of the shards of wood was sliced into her stomach. She gasped in pain and reached down to pull it out.

"Elena!" Dean shouted.

She looked up at him, pained tears blurring her vision. She stared at the demon as he pulled the blade out of his chest and turned to Dean.

"You can't save yourself, Dean Winchester." He said, driving the knife into his stomach.

"No!" Elena screamed, barely finding enough strength to keep herself upright.

The demon grinned back at her before disappearing. Her adrenaline shot up as she watched Dean crumple to the floor. She staggered to her feet, ignoring the shooting pains. When she reached his side, she collapsed on her knees next to him and turned him over. His eyes were closed and his face was quickly draining of color.

"Dean!" she cried hoarsely, pulling the knife out of his gut.

He didn't respond. Her hands pressed over his wound and she thought about what she'd been doing when she healed his bruise.

"Come on!" she wailed, feeling his blood pour out over her hands. "Castiel!"

She felt rather than heard the angel appear.

"It's not working." She sobbed, looking up at him.

The angel kneeled next to her.

"Stop, Elena." he said, pulling her away from Dean.

"No! I can't! I have to save him!" she said desperately, not knowing where her sudden hysterical need to keep this man alive came from.

"Elena your body is using all of its strength to keep you alive right now. We have to fix you before we can fix Dean." He said, trying to get her to focus.

She nodded, taking in gulps of air as Castiel reached down to push her shirt out of the way. It ended up getting in the way even more so he resorted to ripping it open. She was too tired to argue with him and her strength was quickly fading. The pain increased tenfold when Castiel pulled the wood shard out of her stomach. She screamed and bent over, Castiel catching her as she almost hit the ground. She cried in his arms as wave after wave of pain radiated through her torso.

"You can do this, Elena." he said, pushing her back up to a sitting position. "Take my hand."

She fought back the pain and did so, squeezing it as hard as she could, not caring whether it hurt the angel or not.

"Breathe." He instructed her.

Elena followed what he told her what to do.

"Now concentrate. You need strength. You need to heal Dean but you need to heal yourself first. At some point you'll be able to do this by yourself but your abilities are still developing so I'm giving you some power to do it." Castiel said.

Elena nodded weakly. Suddenly she felt a tingling warmth spreading through her body. Her strength was returning and she inhaled deeply. When she looked down, she saw blood covering her abdomen but the wound wasn't there anymore. Instead of acknowledging that she'd just healed herself with Castiel's help, she turned to Dean and put her hands on his wound once more. Castiel's hands covered hers.

"Remember to breathe." He whispered.

She could feel his eyes on her as her own eyes fluttered closed.

"Concentrate on what you want to do and it will happen." Castiel said.

The same tingling feeling flowed out through her body. Only this time it flowed to her hands and she felt it leaving her body. When it stopped, she sat back to breath heavily. Castiel nodded at her when her eyes opened. She looked down and lifted Dean's shirt to see that his wound was healed as well. Suddenly Dean sat up, inhaling sharply. Elena cried out and threw her arms around his shoulders automatically. His arms wrapped around her and he held her close as tears ran down her face. When she drew away, he looked over her and took in her tattered and bloody shirt.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded.

"You were both gravely injured." Castiel said from where he was still kneeling.

There was a little blood on his hands but other than that he was unruffled.

"Castiel healed us." Elena said.

The angel looked at her with surprise. It wasn't a total lie. They would not have been healed if it wasn't for his presence. She remembered him telling her that it couldn't all be revealed at once. She knew that Dean couldn't know yet so she had to protect the secret for now until it was safe for him to know what she could do.

"Mary. We have to get to Mary. The demon is going after her." he said, jumping up and pulling Elena with him.

When they looked around, they saw that Castiel was gone.

* * *

Dean drove up quickly to an abandoned lakefront. The Impala was there but there were three people on the ground. Mary and the demon were kneeling and John was crumpled in her arms obviously dead with his neck at an odd angle.

"No!" Dean shouted as the demon leaned in to kiss Mary.

The demon turned and his eyes flashed yellow in the headlights as they jumped out. Dean pulled out a gun and pointed it at the demon but he threw his head back and a strange black smoke poured out of his mouth. Elena watched with horror as it stopped and Samuel's dead body collapsed to the asphalt. Mary looked at them with tears running down her face just as John inhaled and stirred in her arms. She looked down at him and smiled before stroking his cheek.

Elena reached out and took Dean's hand as his face contorted with emotion. They hadn't stopped it. In fact, their actions may have invaritably jumpstarted everything. They heard the flutter of wings and Castiel's hand touched their shoulders in an almost comforting motion. When they both turned to look at him, they felt the familiar pull of his angelic transportation. They appeared back in Bobby's kitchen moments later. Dean staggered away from them and into a chair at the table.

"I couldn't stop any of it. She still made the deal. She still died in the nursery, didn't she?" he said, his voice filled with devastation.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You couldn't have stopped it." Castiel deadpanned, looking out the window.

"What?" Elena demanded, turning to stare at the angel.

"Destiny can't be changed. All roads lead to the same destination." The angel said, turning to face them.

"Then why'd you send me back?" Dean questioned, his anger building.

"For the truth. Now you know everything we do." Castiel said, his eyes flashing between the two.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Elena asked, confused at his words.

Castiel looked past them outside, where the Impala was still gone. They knew what he was trying to say instantly.

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother. What we don't know is why… what his endgame is. He went to great lengths to cover that up." Castiel informed them.

"Where's Sam?" Dean growled.

"425 Waterman." Castiel said simply.

Dean stood, grabbing Bobby's keys off of the table.

"Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean, and we're not sure where it leads." The angel said as Elena followed Dean towards the door. "So stop it. Or we will."

They both turned back to look at his deadly serious face. He nodded at them before disappearing.

* * *

**Please review! **

**Next Chapter: Elena and Dean go to find Sam only to see something they never expected. When they're called on a case, Elena has a hard time keeping the peace between the fighting brothers.**


	7. I Won't Let You Drown

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to animagirl, RHatch89, Dark Alana, beverlie4055, xxPaige23xx, okgurl87, DeanElenafan, Dean Winchester Rocks, MaddAlice, and LineChokor for reviewing!**

**Chapter Title: Silver Lining - Hurts**

**A few things:**

**1. Sam and Elena bonding in this chapter.**

**2. I love you all very much.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. There is also story art by Dark Alana on my profile. If anyone else wants to draw/create something artistic for the story, feel free. I can't do any of that so I love seeing what you guys can do.**

**Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

The car was silent as Dean tore down the road. Elena had the address programmed into her phone and she would murmur directions every few minutes. She knew that Dean was feeling the same fear that she was. They had no idea what they were going to find when they arrived at the address. It might explain how shifty Sam had been but Elena wasn't even certain. She hadn't known him for long enough. Dean seemed to sense something was going on and she trusted his instincts. She hated to think that Sam was doing something bad but from the way that Castiel spoke, it sounded like they weren't going to find anything good. When they pulled up, they both stared at the warehouse with hesitant eyes.

Before they could get out, Dean took a deep breath and turned off the car. He leaned forward, laying his head on the steering wheel.

"Dean?" Elena said, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder with concern.

He looked over at her, conflict clear in his expression.

"If I go in there…" he sighed, shaking his head. "I can't go back. Right now I have no idea what's going on with Sam. I'm in the dark and part of me wants to keep it that way. I don't know what's going to happen."

Elena nodded, knowing exactly how he felt.

"He might need your help, Dean." She said. "Sam spent four months without you already and it might have gotten him in a bad situation."

Dean nodded, looking certain that his brother was in a bad place.

"I'm with you." Elena said, repeating the words she said the night before.

He took a deep breath, opening his door. Elena climbed out as well. They looked like a pair, their clothing bloody and torn from their confrontation with the yellow-eyed demon. If anyone else were to see them, they would think that Elena and Dean were in the climax of a horror movie. When he pushed a gun in her hand and nodded, Elena took a deep breath and followed him into the warehouse. They walked slowly, able to hear distant voices. When they reached the open space and spotted the back of Sam's head, Dean pulled Elena behind a shelf and they peered through it.

When she saw the girl that was in Pontiac standing next to him, thankfully fully clothed this time, her face screwed up in confusion. Tied up in a chair was a man with blood running down his face and a malicious grin on his lips. When Elena saw the black in his eyes, she knew what he was.

"Tell me about those months without your brother." the demon said, his eyes flicking to normal. "About all the things you and this demon bitch do in the dark."

The brunette girl glanced over at Sam as Elena looked at Dean. He was staring straight forward with a pale face and his lips pressed together.

"Huh? Tell me, hero." The demon urged Sam.

The younger Winchester took a deep breath and lifted his hand, concentrating. The demon began choking with terrified eyes. When black smoke began pouring out of his mouth and into the ground, Dean inhaled sharply and his eyes widened. Elena knew that something bad was going on and her heart pounded in her chest as she stood perfectly still. When the smoke stopped coming, the man slumped backwards, unconscious. The woman looked at Sam with a slight smile on her lips, looking triumphant. He smiled back before moving to check the man's pulse.

"How'd it feel?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good. No more headaches." Sam said, untying the man quickly.

"None? That's good." The woman said.

There was a groan as the man began to wake up. Dean gripped Elena's arm, moving past her as he glared at Sam and the mystery woman.

"Hey, hey. I got you. It's all right." Sam said, helping the man out of the chair.

When they began walking towards the exit, Dean stepped out into the light. Sam stopped short, his eyes wide as he took in his brother's furious face. The woman narrowed her eyes at Dean and they flashed dangerously as she stood just behind Sam. Elena remained in the shadows, unsure of what she should do.

"So... anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Dean asked, stepping towards him.

"Dean, hold on, okay?" Sam said, sounding afraid. "Just let me…"

"You gonna say, 'let me explain'? You're gonna explain this?" Dean demanded, fury rising in his voice.

Elena stepped out, torn between wanting to hear an explanation and stopping Dean from doing something he would regret. Sam's eyes flickered to hers and he looked scared.

"How about this? Why don't you start with who she is, and what the hell is she doing here?" Dean snapped, jabbing a finger at the woman.

Sam turned back and looked at her helplessly. She looked completely calm, smiling as she looked at the older brother.

"It's good to see you again, Dean."

Elena felt a hint of revulsion as she spoke and she stepped closer to Dean automatically.

"Ruby?" Dean demanded, glaring at Sam. "Is that Ruby?"

Sam didn't respond and it was enough confirmation for him. When he glanced at Ruby again, her smile faded. Suddenly Dean launched forward and grabbed her, shoving her against the wall and ripping out the dagger that Elena had seen several times.

"Don't!" Sam yelled, unable to do anything as he was supporting the unconscious man.

He looked at Elena for help but she had no idea what to do. When he shifted the man into the chair, he threw himself at them and struggled with Dean for the knife. Dean threw him against the wall just as he managed to wrestle it away. When Ruby grabbed Dean and tried to pin him against the wall, Elena darted forward and grasped the back of her leather jacket. The demon fell to the ground, glaring up at her as she stood and dusted her clothing off. Elena put herself in front of Dean, glowering back at her.

"Ruby! Stop it!" Sam said, putting himself between Elena and Dean and the demon.

Dean pulled Elena back to stand next to him as he glared at his brother and Ruby. Finally, the demon relaxed and stepped back.

"Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch?" Dean snapped.

Anger flashed through her eyes and it was clear that she wanted to attack him. Elena stepped forward slightly, her eyes daring the demon to try. She didn't know where this was coming from but she was going with it, deciding that her instincts would carry her.

"Ruby." Sam tried to get her attention.

She stared between Dean and Elena for a few more moments before looking up at him.

"Ruby, he's hurt." He said, indicating the man who was no longer possessed. "Go."

Ruby walked to the chair, lifting the man up and putting his arm over her shoulder. As she moved to walk out, Dean moved forward to get in her way. Elena followed him, not willing to let him stand on his own.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he growled.

"The ER... unless you want to go another round first." Ruby shot back, narrowing her eyes at him.

Dean stared her down for another moment before he stepped aside and let her pass with the man. Elena turned back to Sam, watching as he looked at Dean with a panicked expression. When the older brother turned to look at the younger, his eyes were hard and his mouth was pressed into a firm line.

"Dean." Sam sighed, moving forward as if he wanted to explain.

Dean simply put a hand on Elena's back to steer her out. She glanced back at Sam with a torn expression as he called for his brother.

"Dean!"

* * *

Elena didn't speak, watching Dean carefully. His hands were clenched on the steering wheel and knuckles were white. His face was furious and his eyes were devastated. As he sped through the town, Elena knew that he was getting more and more emotional. Finally, she reached over and placed one of her hands on his.

"Pull over." She murmured.

It took a moment and she wondered if he even heard her. Finally he eased up on the gas pedal and turned the car into an empty parking lot. He sat there breathing heavily and Elena unbuckled her seatbelt, climbing out of the car. She walked around to the other side, somehow knowing exactly what to do. When she opened his door, he didn't fight her, allowing her to pull him out. He collapsed against the side of Bobby's car and she stood in front of him, watching as he stared at the ground and kicked at the small rocks.

"I would rather not know now." Dean finally said, his voice rough. "Cas and the angels… they'll think he's demonic or something."

Elena's expression formed into one of sympathy, sadness, and heartbreak for this man before her. After all that he went through, all that she'd seen him experience in hell, now he was having to experience this. Elena knew that Sam wasn't trying to hurt his brother but she knew that seeing him do whatever he did had cut Dean deep. Before she knew it, she was moving closer to him. Elena pulled his head against her chest and stroked his hair softly. Dean didn't move for a moment but he finally lifted his arms, wrapping them around her torso and pulling her in closer. They didn't talk or move, just standing there in the embrace.

* * *

Sam was trying to escape Bobby's questions about where everyone had been when they heard the car pull up. Moments later, Dean entered the house with Elena following him closely.

"What happened to you two?" Bobby asked, taking in the state of ther clothing.

Neither of them answered. Elena glanced at Sam with a wary expression but Dean didn't even look at him. He went to the living room and began throwing his possessions into his bag.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked, moving to walk in there.

Elena and Bobby hovered, watching. The older hunter was confused and Elena was scared, knowing that another argument between the brothers was brewing. Dean ignored Sam as he continued packing.

"Elena?" He said, turning to her.

She knew what he was asking and she looked between the brothers, torn about what to do. Castiel told her to stick with Dean and Sam but how would she do that if they were split apart. She eventually nodded, slowly walking into the room to get to the stairs.

"What, are you…" Sam glanced between them as she turned to face him. "… are you leaving?"

"You don't need me. You and Ruby go fight demons." Dean snapped.

"Ruby?" Bobby demanded, shocked to hear the name. "What the hell happened?"

Dean looked at the older hunter before glaring at his brother.

"Ask Sam." he said, zipping up his bag.

Elena remained fixed in place, unsure of what to do. Sam stood in his way, his hands held up and a pleading expression on his face.

"Hold on. Dean." He said.

Dean suddenly reared back, punching him in the face as Elena gasped and moved forward. Bobby stared with shock as Sam staggered backwards before looking up at Dean.

"You satisfied?" he asked.

Dean punched him again before throwing his bag down on the floor. Sam's lip leaked blood as he looked at Dean.

"I guess not."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean demanded, his voice raising as he moved forward. "How far from normal? From human?"

"I'm just exorcising demons." Sam sighed.

"With your mind!" Dean shouted.

"What?" Bobby said.

Sam looked between them with a devastated look. Dean turned away, running his hand down his face as he shook his head.

"What else can you do?" he asked calmly.

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons, and that's it." Sam explained.

Dean turned and grabbed hold of him, shoving him into the wall.

"What else can you do?" he yelled.

"I told you!" Sam shot back, shoving him away.

Dean nodded, glaring at him.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that."

He turned away, pacing back and forth.

"Look, I should have said something." Sam said, stepping forward.

Dean stopped, his back to Dean.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here." He begged.

Dean turned, looking at him incredulously.

"The other side?" he said, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people." Sam said, sounding like that was a plus.

"Use the knife!" Dean stormed.

"The knife kills the victim!" Sam reminded him. "What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby want you to think? Huh?" Dean said, sounding disgusted. "Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?"

Sam shook his head sadly.

"Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends." Dean warned him.

"I'm not gonna let it go too far." He said.

Dean scoffed with a humorless smile, kicking over a stack of books as Bobby yelled at him to be careful.

"It's already gone too far, Sam!" Dean moved forward, getting very close to Sam with a furious glare. "If I didn't you know... I would wanna hunt you."

Elena put her hand to her mouth as Sam nodded, looking devastated but understanding at his brother's words. He knew how Dean thought and knew that his brother would think that this was something horrible and unnatural.

"And so would other hunters." Dean cautioned, stepping away.

Bobby didn't deny what he was saying. He couldn't bring himself to put his two cents into the conversation as he tried to sort it all in his head.

"You were gone. I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you." Sam said, sounding pitiful. "And what I'm doing... It works."

"Well, tell me. If it's so terrific... then why'd you lie about it to me?" Dean questioned, knowing that he had his brother there.

If Sam knew that there was nothing wrong with it, why wouldn't he tell Dean the second he got back from hell? Sam looke down, unable to meet his eyes. Dean continued, his anger spurring him on.

"Why did an angel tell me to stop you?"

Sam glanced up at that, surprise on his face.

"What?" he breathed.

Dean shook his head, turning away. Elena stepped up now, getting Sam's attention.

"Cas said that if we don't stop you, he will." She said, using Dean's nickname for the angel.

He looked between them with wide eyes as he tried to figure it out.

"See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this." Dean said, facing him once more. "So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?"

Dean's voice was thick with emotion and his eyes were shining with unshed tears just like Sam's were. He knew that his brother was in a bad place. He was angry with him but he was also terrified for him. Before any of them could say another word, the sound of Sam's phone pierced the air. Dean flinched at the sound as Sam pulled it out to answer it, taking a deep breath.

"Hello?"

He turned away from them, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to collect himself.

"Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey." Sam sighed, nodding as he stared forward.

"It's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. It's…" Sam was cut off by whatever the other man was saying. "Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh… Carthage, Missouri."

They all watched as Sam walked over to Bobby's desk and began writing information onto a piece of paper

"Looking for Jack Montgomery." He confirmed. "We'll check it out."

When he ended the phone call, he looked over at them with a hesitant expression.

"It's a job." He admitted. "You remember Travis."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, steeling himself as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll take it."

Sam looked surprised.

"We will?" he asked.

Dean turned to face Elena, a questioning look on his face.

"You'll come?" he asked, almost sounding desperate for it.

"Of course." She agreed, relieved that the brothers weren't going to split up. "But we both need a shower first."

* * *

The Impala was filled with silence as they drove down the road and Sam processed everything. Elena wasn't happy about Dean driving, knowing that he had to be exhausted. Tearing him away from the car's driver seat would be difficult so she was biding her time.

"I can't believe it. Mom, a hunter?" Sam finally said.

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself." Dean said, unable to keep from smiling slightly. "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

"How'd she look?" Sam asked, glancing over at him. "I mean... was she happy?"

"Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." Dean marveled.

He looked over at Sam for a moment before looking back at the road.

"Dad, too. Until of course..." he trailed off and Sam sighed heavily. "What?"

Sam turned to stare out of his window, shaking his head.

"Nothing."

After a moment, he turned back to Dean with a conflicted expression.

"It's just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents too?" he ranted. "Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean frowned, glancing at Elena in the rearview mirror. Neither of them mentioned what the demon said about bleeding in Sam's mouth.

"Sam, I never said anything about demon blood." Dean said.

Sam looked guilty, staring down at his hands.

"You knew about that?" he demanded.

He didn't look up, nodding.

"Yeah, for about a year."

Dean clenched his jaw, looking out the window again.

"A whole year?"

"I should have told you. I'm sorry." Sam sighed, looking up at him.

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine." Dean said, trying and failing to sound uncaring.

"Dean." Sam said, sounding upset.

He didn't answer, staring out at the road.

"Whatever." He said, looking out his own window.

Elena bit her lip, grateful that the Impala would need gas in the next hour or two. She desperately needed to change the situation before the awkward silence drove her mad.

* * *

When they stopped at the gas station, she sighed with relief as she got out of the car.

"I'm running in." Dean said as he put the nozzle into the Impala. "Need anything."

"A bottle of water would be great." Elena requested.

Sam shook his head, leaning against the Impala as he stared down at his feet. When Dean left, Elena looked over at him.

"Your mother really was beautiful." she said, smiling as she leaned against the car with him.

Sam nodded, glancing up at her.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this." he said. "It's not always like this."

He glanced back at the convenience store with a sad look.

"It'll get better, Sam." Elena assured him.

"When?" he asked.

"Dean's had a shock and he has to get used to the idea. If you want my advice, which you certainly don't have to take it, I would take a step back from the mind powers thing. There has to be a reason that the angels told us to stop you. Maybe you can't see it but what if there is something bad that comes from this? I'm not the best person to talk when it comes to listening to others because I am quite stubborn but in this situation, if I were you, I would just re-evaluate the situation."

Sam looked away, staring out at the word with a thoughtful expression. Thoughtful was good. It wasn't angry or offended. It meant that he was thinking about what she said. When Dean came back out with a bag of food and drinks, Elena gestured to the back as she took it from him.

"You're back there now." She said.

"Am I?" Dean replied, looking at her.

"Yep, you need some sleep." Elena nodded, opening the passenger's seat. "Sam and I will take care of your baby."

Dean looked at them doubtfully.

"Anyway, we need some time off from Zeppelin and Metallica." She said with a grin, closing the door once she climbed in.

Dean was grumbling as he sat down on the back, propping his feet up on the seat. Elena retrieved the iPod hook-up, sharing a conspiratorial look with Sam as she plugged her phone in. Dean's eyes popped open when he heard the first song and he sat up, glaring at her as Sam fought back his laughter.

"Really?" he said, looking at her with tired eyes as Journey blasted out of the radio.

"Here we stand!" Elena sang in response, her eyes sparkling. "Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two!"

Dean shook his head, laying back down as he tried to block it out.

"Sleepless nights!" Sam sang, making her laugh delightedly. "Losing ground. I'm reaching for you, you, you!"

"I'm disappointed in both of you." Dean groaned from the back as they grinned at each other.

Sam pulled out of the parking lot slowly, merging into traffic to get back on the highway.

"Feelin' that it's gone, can't change your mind! If we can't go on to survive the tide!" Sam and Elena sang together. "Love divides!"

Elena tapped her knees along with the beat as Sam did the same on the steering wheel.

"Someday love will find you! Break those chains that bind you! One night will remind you, how we touched and went our separate ways!"

When the song ended, Elena put it on softer music. Despite Dean's complaining that it wasn't the type of music that should be played in his car, he fell asleep to it quickly. Elena shot Sam a smile as she ate off of a bar of chocolate that Dean got her without her asking for it.

"Hey Elena?" he asked after several minutes.

"Hmm?" she replied, turning down Andrew Belle.

"How was my dad?" he asked. "I mean, Dean said he was good but…"

Elena nodded, swallowing the bite she had.

"He seemed happy. He was just back from the war, I think. He was sweet and I could tell that he loved your mother. They had a beautiful relationship." She said.

Sam nodded, looking out of the windshield with an emotional look on his face.

"But you don't really want to talk about your dad." She guessed.

He looked over at her with surprise and Elena simply smiled at him.

"I don't know if he'll every forgive me." he said, glancing back at where Dean was snoring softly.

"Oh he will." Elena said confidently. "It might take a while because he's hurt and confused but he will. Trust me, it always seems like it's the end of things when it comes to siblings but they forgive even if they don't think that they can. I've made mistakes with my little brother countless times and he's always forgiven me."

Sam looked over at her with surprise.

"I didn't know you had a brother."

Elena nodded, looking forward.

"His name is Jeremy. He went through a lot after our parents died just like me. We kind of went separate ways for a while but eventually we started being siblings again. The same thing will happen with you and Dean." Elena looked back at him. "You just have to have faith."

* * *

When they arrived at the motel, Dean was awake and ready to pursue the case. Elena insisted that they check in first so that she could wash her face and such. She wasn't sure what to think. This was the first time she would ever be involved with them when they were actually hunting a monster down. As they checked into the room, she waited outside by the car.

"How do you get the money to stay at motel rooms so much?" she asked.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look before the older brother handed her the credit card in his hand. Elena read it and her eyebrows shot up before she looked at him. They were both prepared for her to start lecturing them on the credit card fraud. Instead she looked slightly amused as she held up the card.

"Chris P. Bacon… really?"

Dean smiled, shrugging.

"I figured I might as well have fun with it."

She laughed and shook her head.

"If you think that's funny, here's Sam ID." He said, handing it to her.

"Really, Dean?" he demanded, glaring down at it.

Elena bit back her laughter at the name, Jack Hoff.

"Are you twelve?" she asked, glancing over at him.

"Careful." He warned. "You might need an ID from me one day and I may just get the urge to be funny again."

Elena rolled her eyes, handing the card to Sam. When they got inside, they all dropped their bags. Dean ran to the nearest store and bought beer for them as Elena cleaned herself up. When she walked out, the brothers were arguing over where to put the beer.

"I'm just saying… someone gets in here, I'm not letting them take this." Dean said, holding up the six pack of beer. "I just spent good money on this."

Sam scoffed, shaking his head.

"_You_ didn't spend anything. I think it's ridiculous to hide the beer in our own motel room. No one is going to break in and steal it!"

Elena cleared her throat, causing them both to look at her.

"Really, boys?" she asked, picking up her purse. "Arguing about beer?"

Dean sighed, setting on the table.

"Anything happens to it, you're buying more." He said simply, snatching up his car keys.

Sam shook his head, moving to follow Dean as Elena brought up the rear.

* * *

They were sitting in the car watching Jack Montgomery's house as they passed around Chinese food that Elena insisted that they pick up on the way.

"Are you sure that's him?" Dean asked, munching on the noodles as he glanced up through his binoculars.

"Yep." Sam answered, looking through his own set. "Only Jack Montgomery in town."

"And we're looking for..." Elena trailed off, squinting at the house.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird." He shrugged.

"Weird?" Dean said.

"Yeah." Sam confirmed.

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top." Dean explained. "But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

He looked to watch the man in the business suit enter his kitchen to peruse through his fridge.

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure." Sam said.

Dean pulled his binoculars away and Elena glanced over at him as they switched her rice and his noodles wordlessly, wanting to taste something else. When he handed her the binoculars, she grinned at him and peered through the same window into the kitchen. Jack Montgomery was pulling stuff out and glancing at it before pushing it back in. Her expression slowly changed to disgust as she watched him eating food like crazy. He moved from cooked chicken and turkey breast to a package of uncooked meat.

"I think I'm done with the noodles." She said with disgust, handing both the noodles and the binoculars back to Dean.

He looked through them and adopted a face similar to hers.

"I'd say that qualifies as weird." Sam said.

The other two nodded in sync, looking away from the window as they tried to erase the image from their minds.

* * *

They walked up to the motel room, all refusing to discuss what they'd seen at the moment. When Dean opened the door, he stopped short before smiling. Sam peered past him and grinned as well.

"Travis." He said happily.

They both walked in and Elena saw a man sitting at the table drinking a beer from Dean's six pack.

"See, Sam." Dean said, nodding at the hunter. "Told you we should have hid the beer."

Travis grinned at them as he stood and walked towards him.

"Smartass. Get over here."

He laughed as he and Dean hugged tightly.

"Ahh, good to see you." Travis sighed.

"You too." Dean confirmed before they broke apart.

Travis hugged Sam as well before pulling back.

"Good to see you." he said to the younger brother.

"You too, Travis." Sam nodded.

"Man, you got tall, kid." He said, shaking his head.

All three of them laughed as Elena smiled slightly.

"How long has it been?" Travis asked.

"Ah, gotta be ten years." Sam guessed.

"You still a.. oh, what was it... a mathlete?" he questioned

"No." Sam scoffed.

"You were a mathlete?" Elena said, grinning at him. "That's cute."

"Yep." Dean nodded, gesturing for her to come forward as Travis looked her up and down.

"Who's this?" he questioned.

"Elena Gilbert." She said, reaching out to shake his hand.

His head tilted to the side as if he was trying to figure something out.

"Not Grayson Gilbert's kid?" he asked.

Elena nodded, surprised that he knew of her father.

"Son of a bitch, talk about a small world. I'd love to know how you hooked up with these two crazies." He said, smiling at her. "I was sorry to hear about your daddy's death. He was a good man. Your mom was too."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you."

As they all sat down, Elena at the table with Travis and Dean and Sam on the bed close to them, he sighed and shook his head.

"Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you. Grown men." He said, gesturing to them. "John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

"Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves." Dean nodded, glancing at Sam.

The younger brother's smile disappeared and Elena looked between them with a hesitant gaze, wondering if they were going to start fighting again.

"Nothing more important than family." Dean said, looking Sam full in the face for a moment before turning away.

Elena frowned at him.

"Sorry I'm late for the dance." Travis said, not noticing anything. "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded."

He held up his right arm that was covered in a cast.

"So, you track down Montgomery?"

"Yeah, we found him at his home." Sam nodded.

"And?" Travis questioned.

Elena grimaced, knowing that she would rather not think about what they saw.

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook." Dean informed the other hunter.

"That's him alright." Travis nodded, messing with the label on his beer.

"What's him?" Dean questioned.

"We got a rugaru on our hands." He said.

Dean raised his eyebrows as Elena looked at the brothers for help. They'd never mentioned that particular creature before.

"A rugaru? Is that made up?" Dean questioned, looking over at Sam for a moment. "That sounds made up."

Sam shrugged and he turned his attention back to Travis.

"They're mean, nasty little suckers." The older hunter said. "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy. I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt." Dean countered.

"He'll turn ugly soon enough." Travis promised. "They start out human, for all intents and purposes."

"So, what? They go through some kind of metamorphosis?" Elena asked.

He nodded at her.

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly. But most of all they're hungry." He said.

"Hungry for what?" Dean wondered.

"At first, for everything, but then... for long pig."

Sam exhaled, obviously understanding what Travis meant. Elena and Dean both shared confused looks, not understanding the term.

"Long pig?" Dean asked.

"He means human flesh." Sam said.

Elena grimaced as Dean nodded, looking as though he should have guessed.

"And that is my word of the day." He said.

"Hunger grows until they can't fight it." Travis continued. "Till they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" She asked.

"They transform completely and fast. One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean questioned.

"Lets just say it runs in his family." Travis said.

"You mean, uh..." Sam trailed off.

"Killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down." Travis said. "Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam scoffed.

Travis sighed, looking down at his lap.

"I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do." He nodded before taking a long swig of his beer.

Elena exchanged a look with Sam and they both looked bothered by this story. She wasn't sure how hunting worked but, in her mind, she thought that there had to be a reason to kill something. If they didn't have evidence of wrongdoing, it was just murder in her mind. Apparently, Sam was thinking on the same track as her.

* * *

The next day, after watching Jack all night in shifts, Elena was sitting on the bed watching Dean and Travis fixing gas cans that looked like small fire-extinguishers.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards; deep-fry 'em." Travis nodded.

"Well, that's gonna be... horrible." He said, shuddering. "Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

"Uh-huh."

The door suddenly opened and Sam walked in. Dean looked suspicious, obviously not trusting that he wasn't out there doing something bad. In his hand was a stack of papers.

"Not wasting any time, are you?" he asked, looking at the weapons on the table.

"None to waste. The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains." Travis said.

Sam sat down on the bed and Elena scooted forward to see what he had.

"What if he doesn't hulk out? I did a little homework." Sam said, shifting through the papers. "Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rugarus."

Travis glanced up at him with raised eyebrows.

"What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you?"

"What? No. No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't…" Sam stammered.

"Sam loves research. He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." Dean said, glancing over at Sam. "It is."

Sam ignored him, looking at Travis.

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh. I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rugaru gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step." He said, holding up the stack of papers.

"Really?" Elena asked.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform." He explained.

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?" Dean said, looking interested.

"Basically. Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..." Sam cut off.

"Long pig." Dean finished for him.

"Right." he nodded.

Dean smiled a bit but Travis didn't look satisfied as he sat in silence for a few moments.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." he said, getting up.

They watched as he walked to the kitchenette to make himself a cup of coffee.

"But those are fairy tales." Sam's face fell a little. "Fact is, every rugaru I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will." Sam said, standing up.

Dean stood as well and Elena suddenly felt very short sitting on the bed amongst three tall men.

"So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?" Travis questioned.

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it." Sam suggested.

"Fight it?" Travis scoffed, letting out a short laugh. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry?"

Dean lifted his head from where he was looking at the papers that Sam brought with him.

"I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah." Dean said, nodding dramatically.

"Yeah. Right then. So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" Travis said.

Dean looked thoughtful for a moment and they all knew the answer to the question. He slowly glanced over at Sam, who looked frustrated, before looking back at Travis

"That's what we are to him now, meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself cause he's nice?" Travis said.

"I don't know." Sam said, his teeth gritted together. "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Dean looked over at him once more as Elena felt grateful towards Sam. When he took a few breaths and turned to walk out of the room, Travis looked at Dean with a puzzled expression.

"What's up with your brother?"

Dean stared at the door before turning to him, throwing the papers on the bed.

"Don't get me started." He said, sitting down again.

When Elena stood, he looked up at her questioningly. She gave him a disappointed look before turning to follow Sam outside. She found him pacing by the Impala, his hands shoved in his pockets. He glanced up at her, resignation on his face.

"Did Dean send you out here to make sure I'm not meeting up with Ruby?" he asked.

"Why would he sent me out here to stop you doing anything?" Elena asked, leaning against the car. "My impressive muscles?"

Sam let out a laugh before leaning on it next to her.

"I came out to make sure that you're okay." She said, twisting her fingers together as she looked up at him. "I know you're not okay, but… I don't know."

Sam looked back at her, shrugging as he sighed heavily.

"I just hate this. Dean finds out this one thing, this harmless thing… and suddenly everything is over. He can't even trust me to go to the damn library by myself."

Elena gave him a sympathetic look.

"It's not that he doesn't trust you."

Sam looked at her skeptically.

"Okay maybe that's part of it but it's not the big picture. Your brother is scared. He has no idea how to react to whatever it is you were doing and it's different so he's afraid. He's used to hunting creatures that can do things no human can do. His automatic reaction is to be suspicious of anything that isn't normal. Right now, he's lashing out. Believe me, I don't agree with how he's handling it. But he's thinking through it and you have to believe that if he didn't love you, this wouldn't bother him at all."

He considered her words, staring out at the parking lot. When he didn't say anything, Elena looked out as well.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but it will get better." She said.

Sam glanced over at her and she looked back.

"I mean it is scientifically proven… whatever goes down must come up." She said, gesturing with her hand.

Sam suddenly let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"You've got that backwards. It's whatever goes up must come down." he corrected her.

"Oh! Well I didn't pay much attention in physics." She shrugged, grinning at him.

He smiled back, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I know you don't know me well, but anytime you need to talk… I'm here for you. It's not just Dean I was led to. The angels want me to stick with you as well."

Sam gave her a grateful look. When they heard footsteps behind them, they turned to see Dean walking up. Sam's smile fell and he adopted a defensive look as if his brother would start snapping at him again.

"I thought about it." he said, pulling out his Impala's keys. "We're gonna go have a little chat with this guy which, you know... I'm down."

Elena and Sam both stared at him quietly as he spoke.

"But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

Sam lifted his head slightly.

"Meaning?"

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive." Dean said.

"This guy has a name and a wife." Sam snapped.

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay?" he said, sounding frustrated. "I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They always turn."

"Well, maybe he won't. Maybe he can fight it off." Sam said.

"And maybe he can't, that's all I'm saying."

Elena began to have the feeling that his wasn't all about Jack Montgomery. It sounded all too familiar. Sam thinking someone can remain a good guy while Dean and Travis were convinced that different meant bad.

"All right, we'll just have to see then, okay?" Sam huffed.

"This is what I mean, Sam." Dean said, gesturing to him. 'You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

Sam looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate." He said.

Elena suddenly realized that Dean was not as blind to what his brother was thinking as she might have thought. Sam looked too angry for them to be far off base.

"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean? Because of shit like this." he stormed, walkng towards Dean.

"Like what?" Dean demanded with a scoff.

"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak!" he yelled, completely furious by now.

"I do not." Dean said, glaring back at him.

Sam shook his head, pacing away from him.

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" he walked back to Dean and got almost right in his face. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

When he stepped away, he turned his back and stopped, putting his hands on his hips. Elena watched helplessly not certain of how to help the brothers. When Sam turned around, Dean was looking down at his feet.

"What?" he demanded.

Dean glanced up, looking a bit angry as well.

"Do you know the difference, Sam? I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately." He reminded him.

"You have no idea what I'm going through. None." Sam fired back.

"Then enlighten me!" Dean roared.

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak!" Sam shouted back. "And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to."

Dean stared at him for a few minutes as they both calmed down. Elena was standing by the car with a torn expression.

"Let's just go talk to the guy." Dean said in a calmer voice.

Sam scoffed and shook his head, scuffing his shoe at the ground.

"I mean Jack. Okay?" Dean said, trying to keep the peace all of the sudden.

Sam remained still and silent for a moment before giving a small nod without looking at his brother.

"Elena?" Dean asked, wondering if she was coming.

She hesitated, not wanting to leave them alone but also not wanting to deal with cannibalism. Eventually she nodded once, moving to follow them.

* * *

"Jack Montgomery?"

They walked up to the house, looking at the man who was bent over the bushes clipping them. After a moment, he turned to look at them.

I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother, Dean, and this is Elena Gilbert." He said, introducing them.

Jack watched warily as they walked up to him, looking even worse than the last time they'd seen him. His instincts had to have been driving him insane.

"We need to talk." Sam said quietly, trying to be as not intimidating as he could.

Jack looked terrified anyway, glancing between them all.

"About?" he finally managed to say.

"About you. About how you're changing." Sam said.

"Excuse me?" he demanded, stepping backwards.

"You're probably feeling your bones move under your skin. And your appetite's reaching, you know, 'hungry hungry hippo' levels. How am I doing so far?" Dean asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Jack said, looking at them with wide eyes.

"We're people who know a little something about something." Dean said simply.

"We're people who can help." Elena said, stepping forward. "Please, just hear us out."

At the sight of her, he relaxed a little bit and glanced around before nodding once. A few minutes later, he was staring at them with disbelief.

"A-a what?" he stammered.

"A rugaru." Dean repeated. "Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not."

"Alright, I've noticed certain things." Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I mean, some strange things. But I just, I-I don't know. I'm… I'm sick or something."

"Your father was one of these things." Sam said.

Jack turned to look at Sam.

"Your real father. He passed it on to you."

"No. Are-are you guys listening to yourselves? You s-sound like you're…"

"Skip the whole 'you guys sound crazy', shall we?" Dean suggested, sounding impatient. "You're hungry, Jack. You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungrier for?" he questioned.

"Long pig. You know, a little manburger helper, may have crossed your mind already." Dean suggested.

Jack shook his head.

"No."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack. You can fight it off." Sam said.

"No." he said again, looking at them with an angry glare on his face.

"Others have." Sam tried to convince him.

"We're not gonna lie to you, though. It's not gonna be easy. You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you. You gotta say no or…" he trailed off, glancing at Sam and Elena.

"Or what?" Jack said, wanting to know the rest of the sentence.

"You feed once, and it's all over. And then we'll have to stop you." Sam said unwillingly.

"Stop me? My dad, did uh, somebody stop him?" Jack asked.

Dean and Elena looked at Sam as he nodded once.

"Yes."

Jack suddenly stumbled backwards.

"Get off my property right now. I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops." He said, refusing to believe them.

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger." Sam said.

"Now!" he yelled.

Elena moved forward, her hands up in surrender as she approached him.

"Jack we just want to help you. I know what it's like, not being able to control something that's happening. Trust me, I know it's horrible. I know you're terrified. But I also know that you're good. I know that you want us to help, even if you don't want to believe what we're saying. Please, just let us try." She pleaded.

"Y-you want to kill me." he stuttered.

Elena shook her head, looking as comforting as she could.

"We are trying our best not to have to. We don't want you to go down that path. We want you to live as normally as you can. We don't want anything bad to happen. Just let us help, Jack. If you do that, I promise we'll get you through it. Please."

He glanced past her at Sam and Dean, both of whom were looking at Elena with surprise. When he nodded, she felt relief filling her.

"My wife goes out with her friends on Saturday nights. Can you come back at seven?" he asked.

Elena glanced back at Dean and Sam and they nodded.

"Just remember, Jack. You want to fight this. You want to stop whatever is happening." Sam said as they backed away.

He nodded once more, watching as they turned to leave. Sam looked at Elena gratefully as Dean climbed into the car.

"Good talk." Dean commented, glancing back at Elena. "You did good."

She took a deep breath, nodding as she looked out the window at Jack.

"I just hope it stuck." Elena said.

* * *

When they stopped back at the motel after grabbing dinner, they were confused to see that Travis wasn't there. Sam looked suspicious as they walked in, finding nothing out of place. Elena quickly glanced at the table, counting the number of weapons that were there. There were two missing.

"Oh no." she whispered.

"What?" Dean and Sam asked at the same time.

She looked at them with wide eyes, shaking her head.

"I think that Travis went after Jack." She said.

The brothers looked panicked, exchanging a look before grabbing their stuff and hauling out of the motel room. Elena followed them closely, throwing herself into the car just before Dean tore out of the parking lot. When they arrived at the house, they saw Travis' car parked beside it.

"That stupid son of a bitch." Sam cursed as they hurried up to the house.

At that moment, Jack's wife threw the front door open and ran out of the house. She ran straight into Elena, collapsing in her arms. There was blood leaking from a wound on her forehead.

"My husband is a monster." She sobbed, clinging to Elena.

She looked up at Sam and Dean with wide eyes.

"Go help Jack. I'll take her to the hospital."

They nodded and Dean threw Elena the keys to the Impala. She took the hysterical woman's arm and led her to the car, helping her in.

"Listen to me." Elena said, trying to keep calm for the woman's sake. "It's going to be okay."

The woman was still crying, hunched over in the seat.

"My name is Elena. What's yours?" she asked, trying to distract her.

"M-Michelle." She said, looking up at her.

"Hi Michelle. We're going to get you to the hospital, okay?"

Michelle nodded, shaking as she tried to calm herself. When they pulled up to the hospital, Elena helped her inside and a team of nurses immediately surrounded them. Elena wanted to leave to make sure the boys were all right but Michelle held her hand desperately, obviously panicking. When they changed her into a hospital gown, Elena noticed the blood leaking down her legs and her eyes widened.

"What's going on?" she asked a nurse who was coming to clean the woman up.

"She's having a miscarriage." The nurse said in a low voice before moving to help Michelle into the paper gown.

Elena felt her heart break for this woman who was losing everything at that moment. She fought back her emotions as she moved to return to her side. At that moment, her phone beeped in her hand. Elena looked down at it, seeing Sam's name on the text.

**Help**

Elena's heart stuttered and she let out a sharp breath.

"I'm sorry." She said, glancing up at Michelle who was staring at her with fearful eyes. "I have to go."

Elena turned to run out of the hospital, not responding to the calls of the nurses. She hurried back to Jack's house, grabbing the gun out of her purse and running in as quickly as she could. She passed a large bloodstain on the floor and she somehow knew that it was Travis. When she heard voice, her head snapped up and she ran in the direction of them. When she reached a barely cracked door, she spotted Jack on the ground looking at something she couldn't see. Dean was sprawled across a glass table, blood from his head leaking over the surface.

"I don't think so." Jack said. "After what you did?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Sam's voice was muffled as if he was speaking through a door.

"You send your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive."

Elena readied her gun, preparing for him to do something that would cause her to shoot.

"What? Why?" Sam asked.

"He didn't say." Jack said, obviously lying.

Elena knew that Travis would want to kill the baby that Michelle was carrying. He was successful, stressing her out to the point of miscarriage.

"I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves." Jack said.

When he looked over at Dean, he tilted his head to the side and his hand lifted, hovering over his head.

"Listen to me. You gotta believe me. My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?" Sam tried to convince him.

Jack dipped his finger into Dean's blood, putting it into his mouth and letting out a sigh.

"Oh, God. I'm so hungry." He groaned.

"Jack, don't do this." Sam pleaded.

"I can't ever see my family again." Jack said miserably, moving closer to Dean. "You two... your friend. You made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us." Sam argued. "Listen to me."

Elena's heart pounded in her chest. Shooting someone was different than shooting at a target. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath.

"You got this dark pit inside you. I know." Sam spoke and she froze, listening to his words. "Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster."

Jack let out a bitter laugh.

"Have you seen me lately?"

"It doesn't matter what you are." Sam argued. "It only matters what you do. It's your choice."

Jack stilled, glancing back at the closet where Sam was trapped. Suddenly he grunted in pain and turned back to Dean. His mouth opened slowly and he moved in. Elena narrowed her eyes as Dean stirred, moaning in pain. She shoved the door open, lifting her gun as Jack whirled around, standing up to glare at her. He saw the gun in her hands and his mouth twisted.

"You said you would help me!" he roared.

"I can't help you now." Elena said sadly, her hands steadying as she took a deep breath.

When he moved to attack her, she let loose. Firing shot after shot as she walked forward, he staggered backwards with the force. Each bullet tore into his torso but didn't stop him. When one hit him in the head, it stunned him long enough for the door behind Elena to slam open. She ran to Dean, helping him up as Sam lifted the flamethrower and the lighter in his hands. Jack stood there, watching them all as they looked back at him. When he lunged for Sam, Elena and Dean threw their arms over their eyes. They felt the heat of the fire and grimaced at the smell as Sam lit Jack on fire. He screamed in pain, collapsing to his knees as the flames engulfed him. When Elena glanced at Sam, she saw that his face was devastated and defeated.

* * *

Silence reigned in the Impala once more as Dean drove down the dark road. Elena was glancing between the two, watching as Sam stared at his lap and Dean shot him looks.

"You did the right thing, you know." He finally said. "That guy was a monster, there was no going back."

Sam didn't respond, still staring down. Dean sighed, rubbing his chin as he looked at his brother.

"Sam, I wanna tell you I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately."

He finally lifted his head, turning to look out of the window.

"Don't worry about it, Dean." He said in a broken voice.

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me." Dean said, confirming what Elena said earlier.

"Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it." Sam sighed.

Dean looked over at him once more, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk?" he teased. "You?"

Sam didn't reply to the joke, sighing heavily.

"There's nothing more to say. I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand." He said, shaking his head.

"Why don't you try?" Dean suggested.

Elena looked at him with a slight smile, knowing that Dean was finally coming out of the shock and anger to actually try to understand his brother. Sam looked over at him.

"I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with." He said.

"Not alone." Dean replied.

Sam stared at him for a moment before turning to look out of the window again.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers... it's playing with fire. I'm done with them." he said quietly.

Dean looked surprised as he glanced at his brother.

"I'm done with everything."

"Really?" he asked, not expecting Sam to stop so easily.

Sam didn't respond and Dean turned to look back at the road.

"Well, that's a relief." Dean said. "Thank you."

Sam scoffed a little, turning to look at him.

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you. Or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice." He said.

Dean and Elena both looked at him as he stared out the window without saying another word. Dean glanced back at her and she saw the concern in his eyes. When she scooted forward, she put a hand on Sam's shoulder and leaned in.

"If you want, I'll make us all brownies to pig out on when we get back to Sioux Falls." Elena offered.

Sam smiled slightly, turning to look at her.

"I'd like that." he nodded.

She grinned and patted his shoulder before leaning back. Dean shot her a grateful look and she smiled at him as well, feeling like she might actually help these brothers heal whatever was broken between them.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. It's not much different from the previous chapter. I actually really don't like this episode because it creeps me out but I also know that it's important to the storyline so I kept it.**

**Music: Separate Ways - Journey**

**Next Chapter: Dracula episode! And something very big/important happens.**


	8. Disarm You with a Smile

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, LineChokor, animagirl, Dark Alana, and beverlie4055 for reviewing!**

**To LineChokor, that's actually on my list of songs for the fic.**

**To MaddAlice, I'm going to keep a lot of it. I might be tweaking Elena's history but it'll maybe still be the same concept.**

**Chapter Title: Disarm – The Civil Wars**

**A few things:**

**1. I changed this chapter a bit. Not all of you may like it but I feel like it is for the better.**

**2. This chapter takes place about three weeks after the last one, just to let the timeline of the story move along.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

"Jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire." Dean said, sounding pumped up

"No, I… I agree. It's a hell of a case." Sam nodded, reading the case file for it that Bobby provided

"A little more gusto, please." Dean requested.

"I don't get it. How is this different from every other normal vampire case?" Elena asked, leaning forward to cross her arms on the back of the seat between the brothers.

"It's different because…" Dean began.

"It's just... the world is coming to an end. Things are a little complicated, you know?" Sam interrupted him, sounding extremely bothered about it.

"Yeah, well, we can't save the world, not today anyway. But what we can do is chop off some vamp's head. Come on, man, it's like the good old days, an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters…" Elena cleared her throat. "… and a Gilbert got back to tackling a straightforward, black-and-white case."

* * *

When they arrived in the small town with signs everywhere signaling the start of Oktoberfest, they immediately went to a hotel to check into a room. It was the same deal, one room with two double beds paid for with a fake credit card. Elena waited impatiently in a chair that was outside of the motel room, enjoying the fresh air as Dean and Sam insisted on changing. When they came out in black suits, she raised her eyebrow.

"Wow, you two look fancy. I suppose I shouldn't be seen with you so that I don't shatter the fakeness of it all." Elena said, standing up and smiling at them.

"We promised you a good time and we are going to give it to you." Dean said, holding out his arm to her.

She looked at Sam with pleading eyes and he sighed and did the same.

"I don't know what you're talking about Agent Mulder, I always have a good time with you." Elena said, turning to grin at Dean.

"Are you saying that I'm Agent Scully?" Sam asked, scoffing at the thought.

"I would never." Elena said innocently, turning her wide eyes on him and blinking her lashes.

"Actually we're Agents Angus and Young." Dean said, grinning at her.

"You've got to be kidding me? You really don't think there will be any AC/DC fans around here who will know who Angus Young is?" Elena asked with a raised eyebrow as they reached the Impala.

"I'm actually shocked that you know." Dean shrugged, opening the door for her.

"Don't underestimate my knowledge, Agent." Elena said with a roll of her eyes before she climbed into the car.

As they pulled up to the town square where most of the activity was happening, Elena saw that Dean was barely able to hold back his excitement. She climbed out of the back when Sam opened the door for her and shot him a grin. She felt a bit awkward, walking into the square with polka music playing and weirdly dressed people around them. Dean and Sam walked ahead of her as she shoved her hands in her pockets.

"We still got to see the new Raiders movie." Dean said to Sam, sounding excited about it, though where that came from, Elena wasn't sure.

"Saw it." Sam said easily.

Dean stopped short, causing them to stop as well.

"Without me?" Dean asked, incredulous as he turned to his brother.

"You were in hell." Sam shrugged.

"That's no excuse." Dean said, looking around with a stunned look on his face. "Big pretzel!"

Elena smiled and Sam shook his head at his Dean's childish excitement. Dean got three pretzels from vendor, handing them off as they stood around.

"Thank you." Dean said to the vendor.

"Thank you." Sam and Elena at the same time to Dean.

"Guten tag." A blonde dressed in a short black Oktoberfest dress with a white apron tied around her waist.

"Guten tag yourself." Dean with his mouth full, making Elena roll her eyes as both Dean and Sam stared after her.

"Oh Gott sei Dank!" a voice shouted from behind them, causing Elena to jump and turn to see who'd shouted.

A short squat man ran up to them, looking at Elena as if she was his saving grace.

"I got the call and I was so grateful that you decided to join us. Did you really take part in the Oktoberfest in Germany last year?" the man asked, looking up at her with adoring eyes.

"I… I don't…" Elena stammered.

"Yes, she did." Dean said, pushing her forward.

She looked back at him with questioning eyes before the man took her hand in his own clammy one.

"The man who I spoke to, with the very thick accent, he told me that you were beautiful. With the gleaming brown hair and the dark brown eyes. Goodness you are just as I imagined! We must get you dressed!" he said, moving to pull her away.

"What the hell is going on? Did you have Bobby call to get me a job?" she hissed to Dean, digging her heels into the ground so that the man could not pull her away.

"We promised you the full hunters experience as well as some fun. Well part of being a hunter is going undercover. You are going undercover. Bobby called it in." Dean said, grinning at her.

She glared at him as the man finally succeeded in pulling her away from them. Her eyes told them that they were going to hear about this later.

* * *

"Sheriff Dietrich?" Sam asked as they approached the man in the uniform.

"Are you the boys from the fed?" he asked, looking them up and down.

"Agents Angus and Young." Dean said proudly, showing off his badge along with Sam.

"We called ahead about your, uh, problem." Sam said, nodding at the man.

"Right. Um...I'll tell you what, why don't we talk this out away from the crowd, huh?" the sheriff said, pulling them away.

The sheriff pulled the sheet back to show off the body as Dean glanced around the sparkling clean morgue.

"Marissa Wright, 26, just up from Lockhard for the 'fest. Terrible. Just terrible. It's the last thing is town needs at peak tourist season." Sheriff Dietrich said, looking down at her.

"Definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed." Sam said with a tight smile.

Dean reached down and turned her head to reveal to perfect puncture marks.

"What the hell?" Dean said, shocked at what he was seeing.

"Yeah, you got me… I mean, this killer's some kind of grade A wacko, right? I mean, some Satan-worshipping, Anne Rice-Reading, gothic, psycho vampire wannabe." The sheriff said, staring down at the body with interest.

"Sheriff, in your report, you mentioned a witness." Sam said.

"Yeah, I wished I didn't." Sheriff Dietrich huffed. "But our witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer. Not exactly what you'd call reliable. You'll find him at the tavern."

* * *

Elena was very unhappy. As she stood behind the bar, hiding mostly, she attempting to tug the short skirt down but that only succeeded in showing off more of her breasts. The heels that she was in were actually quite comfortable but they also allowed more of her legs to be shown off. The girl who laced her up in the top, Lucy, told her that the more boobs she showed, the more tips she got. So she was laced up extra tight to make them stand out, making it hard for her to breathe. When she heard two familiar voices approach the bar, she snapped her head around and glared at Dean and Sam.

"Can you handle them?" she asked the blonde that Dean was gawking at earlier.

"Of course. Why do you not like the look of them?" Jamie asked, gazing at Dean interestedly.

"The last time I served guys in suits, I almost took out two restraining orders." Elena lied, grabbing two full glasses of beer and walking out from behind the bar.

When she got back, she stood a little ways away so that she could hear what Dean and Sam were saying.

"I never forget a pretty… everything." Dean said, grinning at Jamie.

Elena rolled her eyes and walked off to collect empty glasses to refill them. When she got back, Dean and Sam had luckily wandered off to question someone elsewhere in the tavern.

"Thanks." She sighed to Jamie, filling up three of the glasses.

"No problem. But they were actually pretty nice." Jamie shrugged, arranging napkins on the bar.

"I'm sure they were. But they're still suits and they're still assholes." Elena said, walking off once more.

* * *

"I told the cops everything I saw. No one believes me. Why should you be any different?" Ed Brewer demanded of Dean and Sam.

"Believe me, Mr. Brewer, we're different." Dean said.

"I spoke the God's honest truth. And now, I'm the town's joke." The skittish man said, taking a long gulp of his own drink.

"Marissa Wright's murder is no joke to us. And we want to hear everything, no matter how strange it may seem." Sam assured him.

"We have a lot of experience with strange." Dean said, nodding at the man.

"It was just after midnight. I just left here and like I do every night, I cut through the park on the way home. At first, I thought it was a couple kissing. But she was... struggling too much. And this man, he was… well, he was biting her neck." Ed said, wringing his hands together.

"Can you describe her assailant?" Sam asked

"Oh, he was a vampire." Ed said, sounding absolutely sure of himself for the first time.

"Okay, right. And by that, you mean…?" Dean asked.

"You know, a vampire." Ed said, baring his teeth to them.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. So, he looked like…" Dean pushed him, leaning forward.

"He looked like a vampire, you know, with the fangs and the slicked-back hair and the fancy cape and the little medallion thingy on the ribbon." The man said, gesturing to his hair.

"You mean like a Dracula?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Exactly. Like a Dracula. Right down to the accent." Ed nodded.

"The accent?" Sam questioned

"Yep."

"What did he say?" Dean asked

"You know, something like.. Stay away, mortal! The night is mine! You do believe me, don't you?" Ed asked.

* * *

"They must be here following up on that murdered woman." Jamie said softly to Elena and Lucy, who were standing on either side of her drying glasses that had just been washed.

They were all watching Sam and Dean ask Ed Brewer questions. Elena was more giving them angry looks than the other two.

"Crazy Ed and the vampire story." Lucy commented, rolling her eyes.

"He might be weird, but he's not crazy." Jamie defended the man who looked plenty nervous from here.

"Look, you're just saying that cause the guy has a crush on you and he tips you in $20s." Lucy said.

"Wow, tell me your secret." Elena said, grinning at her before walking off to help a man who was wildly gesturing for another beer.

* * *

"So, what do you think? Goth, psycho vampire wannabe, right?" Dean asked as him and Sam slid into their own booth.

"Definitely not our kind of case." Sam confirmed, sighing as he took out the case file to cross it off.

"Agreed. But who cares? Room's paid for, and it's Oktoberfest. Come on, brother. Beer and bar wenches!" Dean exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table excitedly.

"Pretty sure women today don't react well to the whole 'wench' thing, Dean." Sam said, laughing at his brother.

"Hey, bar wench, will thou fetchest me a beer?" Dean asked as a brunette with long bronze legs and a short dress on walked by.

He winked triumphantly at Sam as the brunette stopped short and turned. His smirk fell when he saw that the long bronze legs belonged to Elena. She walked back to him and leaned in, putting her arm around his shoulders. He was almost distracted beyond hearing by her breasts that were spilling out of her dress.

"Call me a bar wench one more time, Dean Winchester, and I'll kick your ass." She whispered to where only he could hear.

"Duly noted." He nodded, unable to think clearly with her that close to him and the smell of her raspberry vanilla shampoo washing over him.

"Good boy." She murmured, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek to keep up appearances.

She stood up and waved at Sam, who nodded at her.

"Your beers will be here soon, gentlemen." She said with a polite smile, turning to walk away.

"Dude, what'd she say to you?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Dean said instantly, chills running through his body and his cheek incredibly warm and tingling where she kissed him.

"She threatened to kick your ass, didn't she?" Sam said, grinning teasingly.

A few moments later, Jamie came up with a large beer for him.

"What'll you have?" she turned to ask Sam.

"Oh, he doesn't drink. He's a Christian scientist. Doesn't even take aspirin. He's a real drag on stakeouts." Dean said, grinning up at the blonde, getting his confidence back.

"You're funny." Jamie said, laughing lightly.

"I'm a lot more than that. I'd love to get a chance to show you the rest. What time you get off?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Ha ha. Like I said, funny." Jamie said, laughing again before walking off.

When she got to the counter, Elena leaned over.

"Does the other suit want a beer too?" she asked, holding one out.

"No, apparently he's Christian Scientist." Jamie said with a grin.

Elena narrowed her eyes at Dean, who was so obviously flirting with Jamie. For some reason, it made her angry. She slid out from behind the bar and began walking towards their table.

"Man, it is time to right some wrongs." She heard Dean say, tapping his hands on the table excitedly.

"Come again?" Sam choked out, staring at him.

His eyes lifted to see Elena walking towards the table and he looked back at Dean with wide eyes, trying to make a subtle gesture to get his brother to stop talking.

"Look at me. I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right? You know, bullet wounds, knife cuts, none of the off angled fingers from all the breaks. I mean, my hide is as smooth as a baby's bottom. Which leads me to conclude, sadly... that my virginity is intact." Dean said with a grin, nodding suggestively at Sam.

Elena stopped short just behind Dean, startled by the topic of conversation.

"What?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow.

"I have been re-hymenated." Dean said proudly, raising his eyebrow.

Elena couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smirking and it annoyed the hell out of her.

"Please. Dean, maybe angels can pull you out of hell, but no one could do that." Sam scoffed, shaking his head as he looked past him at Elena sympathetically.

That also annoyed her, why was he feeling pity for her?

"Brother, I have been re-hymenated. And the Dude will not abide." Dean nodded, leaning back in the booth.

Elena felt her cheeks flushing with color as she continued on her path and slammed the glass down in front of Sam.

"Here's your beer." She said, turning to walk away.

"Hey, Elena. Could you do me a favor?" Dean asked her, stopping her by grabbing her hand.

She looked down at him to see his eyes wide and pleading.

"What?" she sighed, relaxing her shoulders slightly.

"You're working with Jamie. Can you put a good word in for me?" Dean asked, smiling up at her.

Elena twisted her wrist out of his grip.

"Your booty calls are your own to set up, Dean Winchester." She hissed, turning to walk away, steam practically coming out of her ears.

* * *

When Elena made it back to the motel, Lucy luckily giving her a ride, she narrowed her eyes dangerously at the Impala.

"We should have a girls night tomorrow night." Lucy suggested, smiling over at her.

Elena looked over at her, ready to turn her down. But then again she really didn't want to have to listen to Dean going on and on about losing his virginity to Jamie.

"Sounds great. We'll leave from work?" Elena asked.

"Sounds great." Lucy echoed, smiling at her.

When she walked into the room, she saw Sam snoozing on the couch and Dean sitting on the bed reading over the case file.

"Hey, how was work, bar… lady?" he asked, checking himself before he called her a wench again.

"Fine." She said simply, pulling her hair out of the braids as she kicked off her heels.

Then she grabbed her pajamas and turned to walk into the bathroom. When she came back, Dean hadn't moved. She crossed to the other bed and pulled back the covers with force, sending them flying to the edge of the bed.

"Hey, about earlier…" Dean began softly.

"Don't need to talk about it." she cut him off quietly so as not to wake Sam up, pulling her phone out as it needed the battery charged.

"I just wanted to apologize for making you uncomfortable. I know that you're probably too young to be all right with being a guy's wingwoman." Dean said, obviously joking.

She turned to glare at him once she slid into the bed.

"Seriously?" she hissed, not giving him a chance as she turned over and pulled the covers up and over her.

"What?" he said, confused at her reaction.

She rolled her eyes and sat up, turning to look at him.

"We are hunting something! I am in a freaking uncomfortable dress with everything of mine out there for very perverted men to admire and shit!" she growled, glaring at him.

"Who was looking at you?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at the thought of men admiring her.

"It doesn't matter! My name is…" she reached towards her purse and yanked out her wallet, digging the fake ID out.

"… Charity Case! Charity? Really? Is it your life's goal to give me stripper names? Maybe next time you should just throw all inhibition out the window and put Lola Sizzle or Sapphire Velvet on my ID!" she snapped quietly, throwing the ID onto the bedside table and flopping back onto the bed.

"Hey come on, I thought it was funny." Dean said, smiling at the thought.

"Well it's not!" she hissed, refusing to look at him again.

"Lena, I'm sorry." He said, leaning forward off the bed.

It took a moment but she finally sat up and turned to look at him. Unfortunately for him, her gaze hadn't softened at all at his apology. If anything, it was even icier than before.

"We are on a damn hunt, Dean. Do you think you could handle keeping your dick in your pants while we're here?" she growled, pulling the covers over her head this time as she fell back onto the pillow.

Meanwhile, Dean was left speechless and a no longer asleep Sam was grinning at the spat he'd just heard. He just wondered how long it would take his clueless older brother to figure out that Elena wasn't mad about being given the job in the tavern or the ridiculous name on her ID, but that she was so angry because she was so very jealous.

* * *

Elena brought three cups of coffee to the table in the tavern as Dean and Sam talked to the latest witness to a strange crime, a teenage girl whose boyfriend was shredded by an animal. Thankfully, they were wearing the longer dresses that day so Elena's legs were covered completely. Her boobs were still spilling out of the top but she figured that she could deal with that long enough to get out of this.

"And then it just… it just tore Rick into little pieces." Anna-Marie said, dabbing at her eyes as tears leaked from them.

"Ma'am, we understand how hard this is, but can you describe the creature?" Dean questioned, his eyes flashing up to Elena as she set the cups on the table.

"Oh. It was a werewolf." She said, nodding at them as she sipped at her coffee.

"A werewolf? You're sure?" Sam asked, his eyebrow raised slightly.

Elena stood a little bit to the side, wanting to hear what the girl said.

"Oh, yeah. With the furry face and the black nose and the claws and the torn-up pants and shirt, like from the old movies." Anna-Marie informed them, her eyes wide as she described the thing.

"Um, well..." Sam said, trailing off.

"Okay, so... thank you for your time." Dean said.

The girl nodded and stood to wander out. As she had nothing left to listen to, Elena turned to walk off, joining Jamie and Lucy at the bar.

"I can't join, Luce. I'm meeting Agent Angus over there for drinks tonight when I get off." Jamie said, smiling at her friend.

"Oh, well I suppose that we will just have to make do without you." Lucy said, smiling at Elena.

"Yeah definitely." Elena nodded, smiling back at the girl though something in the back of her mind told her that something definitely wasn't right.

* * *

When their shift ended, thankfully without any incidents, Elena went outside to wait on Lucy, who told her that she wanted to change clothes. Elena cursed aloud when she got outside. When she found Jamie waiting out there, she checked her phone's clock to see that Dean was over fifteen minutes late.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Elena said as she walked up to her.

"Hmm… it's about to be G-Man's loss." Jamie said with a wry grin.

"Good evening." A thickly accented voice said from behind them.

They turned to see Dracula literally standing there, cape drawn up to cover his face dramatically and everything.

"I have watched you from afar. My passion knows no bounds!" he said, dropping the cloak to reveal a dangerously pale face and fangs poking out of his mouth.

Elena and Jamie took off running together before he could finish his thought. Jamie fumbled in her purse as they ran. Finally she stopped and turned around, seizing something in her purse. Elena stopped as well, demanding what she was doing as the Dracula monster drew closer.

"You are the reincarnation of my beloved! And I must have you…" he said, spreading out his arms as he drew closer.

Jamie lifted her hand out of her purse and shot her pepper spray directly into his eyes.

"Mary, son of a…" he cursed, bending over as he attempted to clear his eyes and they turned to run.

Elena caught sight of Dean walking towards them at the end of the street and sighed with relief.

"Elena! Jamie!" Dean yelled as they ran straight at him.

They stumbled to a stop when they reached him, breathing heavily. Dracula appeared in front of them, looking a little worse for wear as he bent over inhaling deeply.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed, yanking them backwards.

"You should not use such language in the presence of my bride." The Dracula monster said, drawing himself up to full height.

"Okay." Dean shrugged, lunging forward and punching him.

They began to fight around the street as Elena and Jamie watched. Elena felt the urge to jump in and rip the monster to shreds but she controlled herself carefully.

"Elena, get Jamie out of here!" Dean shouted.

"You have no choice in the matter, Mr. Harker, Mina is mine!" the monster said in his thick accent as Elena and Jamie backed away from them.

He leaned into try to bite Dean and Elena lunged forward instead of running off. Luckily, she heard a disgusting ripping noise and then the creature was fleeing into the night. Dean stood there staring after the monster, holding a piece of flesh in his hand.

* * *

"Hey, you guys all right?" Sam asked as he approached them once he entered the tavern.

Elena and Jamie were seated on one side of the bar and Dean on the other.

"Yeah, I think so. And I think I know what's going on." Dean said, setting a towel with the flesh in it on the table.

Elena and Jamie both recoiled, staring at it with disgust.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, unfolding the towel.

"Part of it, at least." Dean shrugged.

"Uh, the ear part?" Sam asked, grimacing at what he saw.

"Ripped it off of Dracula's head. Touch it. Feel familiar to you?" Dean asked, watching as Sam reached out to handle the thing.

"Oh man." Sam breathed, sitting in the booth next to him.

"The skin of a shapeshifter. Just like St. Louis and Milwaukee. Of course this one's all holding buckets of crazy. Oh, and, uh…" he pulled out the medallion that he nabbed as well.

"I pulled this off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon." Dean said, handing it to Sam.

"It's a costume rental." He scoffed.

"All three monsters – the Dracula, wolf man, and the mummy… all the same critter. Which means we need to catch this freak before he creature from the black lagoon's somebody." Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So you guys are like Mulder and Scully or something, and the X-Files are real?" Jamie asked, glancing between all of them.

"No, the X-Files is a TV show. This is real." Dean scoffed, smiling at her afterwards.

"Oh." Jamie said, sitting back again.

"Okay, so, the stagecraft, the costuming…" Sam trailed off.

"It's like he's trying to reenact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders." Dean said.

"Wait a second, who the hell is Mina?" Jamie asked.

"Mina?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, that's what he called Jamie. And he called me Mr. Harker." Dean said, nodding at his brother.

"Jonathan Harker? They're characters from the movies and the novels. Mina, Dracula's intended bride, Harker, the fiancé. He's fixating on you. Like he sees you as his bride." Sam explained to Jamie.

"Wow. Lucky me." she breathed, staring down at the table.

"But to fixate on you, my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you." Sam said.

"Jamie, has anybody strange come to town, somebody that has taken specific notice of you?" Dean asked, leaning forward to focus on Jamie, not that it was much of a surprise.

"I don't know, Dean. It's Oktoberfest. I'm a bartender. There's lots of people." Jamie said, shaking her head.

"You said something about Ed Brewer." Elena reminded her.

"Oh, yeah." She breathed, remembering his fascination with her.

"He moved here about a month ago. Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He comes in almost every night. But, you know, I don't think he's the type of guy…" Jamie said.

"Where does Ed live?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. But he works at the old movie theater. I think he's a projectionist there." Jamie said.

"Take care of Mina?" Sam asked, standing up.

"Yep." Dean agreed, much to Elena's chagrin.

* * *

After a while of sitting there awkwardly while Jamie asked questions like, 'were they really the FBI'. Suddenly the lights in the bar all switched on.

"Holy crap!" Lucy exclaimed, seeing them sitting there.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry I forgot to meet you." Elena said, just remembering that they were supposed to have girl's night.

"It's all right." Lucy said, smiling at her as she walked to the table and sat next to her.

She poured them all a drink as Jamie told her a little bit about what happened while leaving out the supernatural aspects of it.

"It was really, really something." Jamie said sleepily.

"I hope you're ok." Lucy said, reaching out and touching her hand before turning to smile at Elena.

Surprisingly enough, Elena felt herself growing sleepy all of the sudden as well.

"Jamie? Elena?" Dean questioned.

"So, Dean, are you like, a black belt or what?" Lucy asked, leaning forward with a grin.

Dean looked a little woozy as she spoke.

"Well, I guess they train you to fight at the academy or whatever." She shrugged.

Dean shot across the table and punched Lucy, throwing her out of the booth. Then he attempted to get a sleepy Elena and Jamie out of the tavern.

"It's you, isn't it?" he asked as they all staggered.

Lucy pushed her jaw back into place and looked to smile at him. He launched out to kick her and stumbled even more.

"Oh, damn it! What did you put in the drinks?" he demanded as Elena and Jamie collapsed on the ground and curled up.

"And… scene." They heard Lucy mutter before they all slipped into darkness.

* * *

Dean slowly stirred, feeling immediately that he was tied up. Luckily, the monster hadn't discovered his gun that was still stuck in the back of his pants. If only he could get to it. He caught sight of a portrait of a woman that looked remarkably like Lucy.

"She is beautiful, no? Bride number three from the first film." Dracula said as he slid out of the shadows and crossed to the painting.

"She never got the acclaim that she deserved. Which is why I chose her shape, her form to move among the mortals unnoticed, to listen to the cricket songs of the living. That is when I discovered my bride had been reborn in this century." The monster said fondly, turning to Dean and walking to him.

"I can't get over what a pumpkin pie eyed crazy son of a bitch you really are. You're not Dracula, you get that right? Or even if you think you are Dracula, what the hell's up with the mummy?" Dean demanded.

The monster reared back and punched Dean in the face.

"I am all monsters!" he shouted in that ridiculous accent.

"Life ain't a movie, you sorry sack of…" Dean was cut off by yet another punch to the face.

Then the monster began pacing.

"Life is small. Meager… messy. The movies are grand, simple, and elegant. I have chose elegance!" he said, flinging his cape around.

"You think elegance is really the word for what you did to Marissa or Rick Deacon or any of the others?" Dean demanded, glaring at him.

"But of course. It is a monster movie, after all." Dracula said with a maniacal grin.

"You do realize what happens at the end of every monster movie?" Dean reminded him, spitting out the words.

"Ah, but this movie is mine. And in it, the monster wins. The monster gets the girl. And the hero, he's… electrocuted." Dracula crossed to a large lever that connected to whatever Dean was tied to.

"And tonight, Jonathan Harker, you will be my hero." He said.

The doorbell suddenly rang and Dean looked up, confused.

"Wait wait wait wait." The monster said, chuckling. "Please excuse me."

He walked to the door and opened it, revealing a pizza delivery guy.

"Good evening." Dracula said, bowing his head.

"Uh… pizza delivery." The kid said, looking at him like he was a freak.

"Ah, you've brought a repast. Excellent. Continue to be of such service and your life will be spared." Dracula said dramatically.

"Uh huh. That'll be $15.50." he said, handing the pizza to him.

"Tell me… yeah? Is there… garlic… on this pizza?" the monster asked nervously.

Dean rolled his eyes, glancing around for a way to get out of that ridiculous situation.

"I don't know. Did you order garlic?" the kid asked, dumbstruck by the monster.

"No!" Dracula said, recoiling in horror.

"Then no. Listen, mister, I got four other deliveries to make. You want to just pay me the money so I can go?" he asked impatiently.

"Of course, yes, but I have a coupon." Dracula said, holding out the slip of paper.

When he disappeared after setting up an elaborate meal on the dining room table, far too fancy for delivery pizza, Dean began to try to struggle his way out of his binds. Dracula ended up appearing back in the room, looking pleased as he watched the double doors that led out of the room.

"My Mina will be coming soon and she will see the sacrifice I make for her. Then we shall dine and she will give herself to me as my bride." He said, readying himself.

"Jamie isn't going to do anything so disgusting with a sick bastard like you." Dean spat.

"Hush, Harker! I will not allow you to sully this moment with your poison laced words!" Dracula said, holding up his hand.

The doors slowly opened and Dean turned, expecting the pale blonde to walk through the doors. He was shocked when, instead, Elena walked through with a furious expression on her face. Her hair was out of the pigtails. The white dress that she'd changed into fell around her like a perfect waterfall of fabric, giving her skin a soft glow. In other words, she looked beautiful. There were sparkling studs in her ears and a diamond bracelet on her wrist

"Elena?" he questioned, his voice full of shock.

"Hey Dean. I think you were wrong about his choice of Mina." She said, striding into the room while glaring at Dracula.

"My lovely bride. You are as beautiful as you have ever been." Dracula sighed, taking her hand and kissing it.

"I'm not your bride." She snapped, wrenching her hand out of his grip.

"But you are meant to give yourself to me tonight. But first I shall kill your fiancé and we shall dine on this wonderful modern meal." He said, gesturing to the table.

Elena stared at him before looking up at Dean.

"But I do not love you." she said, her voice slipping into a dramatic tone, surprising Dean.

"Love will come, dear Mina." He said, reaching forward to stroke her cheek.

"No, I love… erm… Jonathan." She said, looking up at Dean with a longing look.

"Play along." She mouthed.

"Yeah… I love Mina too." Dean said, glancing around as he felt ridiculous.

"You cannot tear us apart. I forbid it." Elena said, crossing to Dean and reaching out to stroke his face.

She was suddenly yanked back into the monster's chest and she visibly shuddered, looking up at Dean with wide eyes as he struggled against the binds.

"You are mine." The monster hissed into her ear.

She turned in his arms to look up at his impossibly pale face.

"At least grant to me one last goodbye with this man." she said pleadingly, her voice overdramatic and breathy.

"I cannot resist you, my dear Mina. Your wish is my command." He said, releasing her and backing away as she turned back to Dean.

Elena walked up and got very close to him.

"Keep playing along, okay?" she whispered.

He nodded, his eyes wide as she leaned in close, pressing her body to his as her lips went to his ear.

"Is your gun still in your waistband?" she whispered, acting as though she was whispering something loving to him.

"Yes." He murmured back.

Elena withdrew and gave him a warning gaze before she leaned in.

"I'm sorry, but this is necessary." She murmured as her lips were mere inches from his.

Warmth flowed through their bodies as he leaned forward and their lips melded together. Elena gasped into the kiss and her hands went to his hips, pushing herself forward and wrapping her arms around his back. When his mouth opened and his tongue swept across her bottom lip, it felt as though her whole body had erupted into flames. She allowed him entrance into her mouth and they both moaned at the closer contact that they had because of it. She almost forgot that she was kissing him to get the gun. Finally she remembered and reached in his waistband to retrieve it. Their kiss continued even after she had it gripped firmly in her hand because neither wanted it to stop.

"Enough!" Dracula said, yanking her back so roughly that she fell onto the floor.

Luckily this gave her a way to hide the gun in her skirt, looking up at him with fear as he loomed over her. At that moment the door slammed open and Sam ran in.

"You will never be Van Helsing!" the monster shouted, running forward and grabbing Sam, throwing him through a wall with bricks crumbling around him.

"And you, Harker…" he said, turning his attention on Dean as he stomped to him."… you will die."

He reached towards Dean's throat with the intention of throttling him.

"How 'bout now you shut the hell up?" Dean growled as his hand wrapped around his throat.

"Hey." Elena said in an annoyed voice, causing both Dean and the monster to turn and look at her.

She raised the gun and fired three times, hitting him each time.

"Silver?" the monster gasped, stumbling sideways.

He looked up at Elena with shock.

"It was beauty that killed the beast." He sighed before falling to his knees and collapsing to the ground on his knees. "No Mina, do not weep. Perhaps this is how the movie should end."

He fell forward and didn't move again. Elena sighed and dropped the gun, looking up at Dean, who was staring at her with an unidentifiable look in his eyes. Her eyes drifted to Sam standing up out of the rubble and she nodded, turning back to Dean to untie him. When he was undone, she backed away and allowed him to step down.

"Good shot." He commented.

"Learned from the best." She said with a smile.

"I don't know how I didn't guess that you were Mina. You have her hair and everything." Sam said, gesturing to Elena.

"It's all right, Sam. Everything worked out in the end." She nodded at him, sighing dramatically as she kept up the movie spirit.

"All we gotta get out of here before we all turn into a bunch of weeping saps." Dean said gruffly, marching for the door.

Elena and Sam followed him but Elena turned first, looking upon the room once more.

"As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!" She announced dramatically, spreading her arms wide.

Sam and Dean came back in, grabbing her arms and whirling her around as they walked her outside.

"Do you want to change before walking through the streets in a damned wedding dress?" Dean offered her.

"The monster burned my bar wench dress. He said that it was too suggestive and I should leave such things for him to see, not that damned Harker." She said, turning to smile at him as she shivered against the cool night air.

"Hmm." Dean said, smiling slightly before sliding off his jacket and placing it over her shoulders.

She smiled up at him as they walked to the Impala with Elena between the brothers, her white dress standing out in the darkness.

* * *

When they arrived back at the hotel, Elena begged with the brothers to stay in the town that night and for them to leave in the morning so that they could all get some rest. They agreed after she widened her eyes and let her lower lip tremble for a surprisingly long time. Sam didn't take long to fall asleep, the medication for the bump on his head from fighting with Dracula making him tired. Elena was lying on her bed, the white dress that she was still wearing spread around her. Her hair fanned out on the sheets and she stared at the ceiling. When she felt eyes on her, she glanced over to see Dean sitting on his bed.

His father's journal was in his hands but he was staring straight at her. She sat up slowly, her eyes on him. When she felt that the gaze got too intense, Elena glanced away. His eyes didn't stray, still watching her as if he was in some sort of trance. She took a deep breath, pushing off of the bed and walking towards the door. When she slipped out into the night, Dean set the journal aside and stood, following her out. Elena was standing just beside it as if waiting for him. She looked over at him and bit her lip.

Dean walked forward until they were inches away, staring into each other's eyes. Elena opened her mouth to say something but closed it immediately after. Dean leaned in, moving slowly as he watched her. His eyes slid closed as their lips touched lightly. Elena immediately pressed closer, deepening the kiss as her hand slid into his hair. His hands slid around her back, touching the bare skin revealed by the dress. They remained locked together for a full two minutes before Elena barely pulled away, their lips still almost touching.

"What are we doing?" she whispered.

Dean didn't open his eyes, the question settling in his mind as he tried to come up with an answer.

"I…" he cut off, really not knowing what to say.

Elena took a deep breath, pulling away from him and sliding past him to walk into the motel room. Dean was left there, suddenly feeling very cold without her there. When he glanced back, he saw her watching him from the doorway with a torn expression. Then Elena turned away, walking inside and going straight to the bathroom to change out of the dress. When she came out, Dean was sitting on his bed once more. She slid the bracelet off and pulled the earrings out, setting them on the bedside table.

"I'm almost certain these are real diamonds." She said in a hushed voice so as not to wake up Sam. "We should sell them."

Dean nodded, not trusting himself to say anything that wouldn't be stupid at that moment. When she laid down and closed her eyes, he finally looked over at her and inhaled sharply at the tingling of his lips where they'd been touching hers only minutes before.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Review please!**

**I know that you may not be a fan of how the chapter ended but it's a decision that I made before I even started the series again. I felt that I rushed the relationship faster than was realistic. It's not going to be nonexistent, of course. It's just going to be a little bit slower burn. I promise I'll still make it good and hot. It'll just be slow moving at first.**

**Gott sei Dank – Thank God**

**Next Chapter: When Dean contracts a mystery illness, Sam and Elena along with Bobby must race against the clock to figure out how to stop it. **


	9. Wake Me Up, I'm Living a Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**I'm putting this out too quickly to thank many reviewers so just thank you all for reading! You're amazing!**

**Chapter Title: Time of Dying – Three Days Grace**

**A few things: **

**1. I did change a few things in this chapter. It's all just a little bit tweaked.**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**3. I've put an official playlist on my profile for you to see all of the songs that are used.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

_Tears burned in her eyes as she held him closer, her head bent over his as he argued with someone who wasn't there. Her eyes lifted to the clock and she saw that they only had minutes left. His heart pounding too quickly beneath her hand that was laid over his chest. _

"_Come on, Sam." Elena said pleadingly, one tear sliding down her face._

_Dean trembled in her arms, a terrified noise escaping from his mouth. Elena fought back her sobs as she leaned down, pressing her lips to his forehead and praying for a miracle._

* * *

**Forty-Nine Hours Earlier**

"Agent Tyler, Agent Perry, meet Frank O'Brien."

Elena watched from the corner as Dean and Sam looked down at the dead man on the table. The coroner stood with them, waiting for their reactions.

"He died of a heart attack, right?" Sam questioned, glancing up at him.

"Three days ago." he confirmed.

"But O'Brien was forty-four years old and, according to this…" Elena glanced down at the chart she was holding as she spoke. "… a marathon runner."

"Everybody drops dead sooner or later. It's why I got job security." The man shrugged, looking her up and down once more before glancing at the body.

The brothers took her frustration with her previous undercover job seriously and now they were allowing her to be a little more involved without delivering beers to handsy men. She was acting as their FBI assistant/analyst.

"Yeah, but Frank kicked it here. Now, just yesterday, two perfectly healthy men bit it in Maumee. All heart attacks, you don't think that's strange?" Dean asked.

"Sounds like Maumee's problem to me." The coroner said, squinting at them. "Why's the FBI give a damn, anyway?"

"We just want to see the results of Frank's autopsy." Dean answered.

The doctor looked at him with surprise.

"What autopsy?"

Elena sensed that he wasn't too fond of Sam and Dean so she stepped forward, using his interest in her to their advantage.

"I know that it would make our jobs much easier if you could check him out for us." She said, smiling at him. "Especially for me so that I can clear it and we can go check out the next case. Do the autopsy, please?"

The man was nodding before she finished.

"I can do that, yeah." He agreed.

She smiled at him before backing away, shooting a triumphant grin at Dean and Sam. When her eyes met the older brother's, she looked away, her smile falling. It had been strange with Dean ever since they kissed. It wasn't awkward. It was just a little bit weird being around him with the kiss replaying in her head over and over again. She knew that he felt it too. Neither of them would speak about it. They went on as normal, pretending as though it hadn't happened at all.

"First dead body?" the coroner said, interrupting her thoughts.

He was already cutting into the body.

"Far from it." Dean replied.

"Oh, good. Because these suckers can get pretty ripe. Hey, hand me those rib cutters, would you?"

Sam took a deep breath as Dean picked up the instrument and handed it to the man. When he cut open the ribs, Elena flinched at the cracks as Sam fought to keep from squirming uncomfortably.

"Is that from a wedding ring? I didn't think Frank was married." Dean said, noticing his left hand.

"Ain't my department." The coroner answered.

"Any idea how he got these?" Sam picked up Frank's left arm that was covered in deep scratches.

"You know what? When you drop dead, you actually tend to drop." The coroner informed them. "Body probably got scraped up when it hit the ground."

After a moment of looking around, he frowned and let out a confused hum.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"I-I can't find any blockages in any of the major arteries."

There was a ripping noise as he broke off the heart and Dean paled, trying not to vomit.

"Heart looks pretty damn healthy." The doctor said, inspecting it before handing it to Dean. "Hold that a second, would you?"

Sam smirked as Dean stared down at the blood-covered heart with wide eyes. Suddenly, blood sprayed onto the younger bother's face as the coroner cut something else.

"Oh, sorry. Spleen juice." He said dismissively.

It was Dean's turn to look smug as Sam shuddered and shook his head. Elena moved forward with a towel, wetting it down with water before wiping his face off.

"Thanks." He said before muttering something about spleen juice as he turned back to the autopsy.

* * *

As they sat in front of the deputy's desk waiting on the sheriff, he smiled at them. Elena smiled back politely as the brothers looked around impatiently.

"Hell's bells, Linus, have you seen my..." the sheriff cut off as he came out the door and spotted them. "Who are they?"

"Federal agents. I, uh..." Deputy Linus began standing.

"And you kept them waiting?" the sheriff demanded as they stood up.

"You, you said not to disturb." He said weakly.

The sheriff glared at his employee before turning to face them.

"Come on back."

They walked over to his office but he stopped them before they could enter.

"Shoes off."

Dean rolled his eyes but they did as he said, padding into his room without shoes on. Elena sat in the first chair at his insistence, leaving the other two in the other chairs.

"Al Britton. Good to meet you." he said, shaking their hands.

"You too." Sam nodded at him.

"Thank you." Elena said with a smile.

As he sat down, the sheriff began slathering his hands with alcohol gel. Dean looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay. So, what can I do for Uncle Sam?"

"Well, we're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien. We understand some of your men found his body." Sam said, leaning forward.

"They did. Me and Frank, we were friends. Hell, we were gamecocks."

Dean snickered and Al gave him a stern look that quieted him down.

"That's our softball team's name."

Dean nodded, trying to keep a straight face.

"They're majestic animals." The sheriff argued before getting back on topic. "I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got up the strength to go see him. Frank was... he was a good man."

"Yeah. Big heart." Dean agreed.

Elena and Sam both gave him a look before turning back to Britton.

"Before he died, did you notice Frank acting strange? Maybe scared of something?" he asked.

"Oh hell, yeah. Real jumpy." The sheriff nodded.

"You know what scared him?" Elena asked.

"No. Wouldn't answer his phone. Finally, I sent some of my boys over to check on him, and well, you know the rest."

Elena, Sam, and, Dean stared at him strangely as he began pouring out alcohol gel on his hands once more.

"So, why the Feds give a crap? You don't really think there's a case here?" he asked.

"No, no. It's probably nothing. Just a heart attack." Dean lied, glancing at them.

* * *

"No way that was a heart attack." Dean said as they walked out of the station.

"Definitely no way. Three victims, all with those same red scratches. All went from jittery to terrified to dead within forty-eight hours."

"Something scared them to death?" Elena suggested.

"All right, so what can do that?" Sam questioned.

"What can't? Ghosts, vampires, chupacabra? It could be a hundred things." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah. So, we make a list and start crossing things off." he nodded.

"Alright, who's the last person to see Frank O'Brien alive?" Dean said.

"His neighbour, Mark Hutchins." Elena said, looking down at the case file.

"Hang on, hang on."

Dean stopped them both as he looked forward.

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

Dean turned to face them, looking slightly nervous.

"I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there."

Sam and Elena looked around to see five fifteen-year-old boys hanging out near the Impala.

"Let's walk this way."

He started to cross the street to avoid the gangly, pimply boys as they watched him with matching perplexed looks.

* * *

"Tyler, Hamilton, and Perry. Just like Aerosmith." Mark Hutchins commented as they all sat down.

A large snake was draped around his shoulders and there were various other reptiles scattered around his living room. Dean was looking around at all of them with a pale face.

"Yeah, small world. So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?" Sam asked, not bothering with small talk.

Elena watched as Dean saw a large lizard and turned away quickly, swallowing audibly.

"Monday, he was watching me from his window. I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains." Hutchins answered, stroking the snake on his shoulders.

"Hmm. did you speak to him recently? Did he seem different? Uh, scared?" Sam said.

"Oh, totally. He was freaking out." Mark nodded.

"Do you know, uh…" Dean's voice broke and he shook his head. "… do you know what scared him?"

"Well, yeah, witches." He nodded.

"Witches?" Sam and Dean exchanged looks as the former spoke. "Like...?"

"Well, 'Wizard of Oz' was on tv the other night, right? And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him." Mark informed them.

"Anything else scare him?" Elena asked.

"Everything else scared him. Al-Qaeda, ferrets, artificial sweetener. Those Pez dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

She watched as Dean looked around at the various reptiles around them. His hands clenched on his legs as he did so and her frown deepened.

"So, tell me. What was Frank like?" Sam questioned.

"I mean, he's dead, you know? I-I don't want to hammer him but, he got better." Mark stammered, nodding.

"He got better?" Elena said.

"Well, in high school he was, he was a dick."

"A dick?" Sam repeated.

"Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together." Mark said.

Dean let out a laugh and Mark stared over at him.

"Mine included."

His smile faded and he nodded seriously.

"So he pissed a lot of people off. You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?" Dean asked.

"Well, I don't... Frank had a heart attack, right?" Hutchins said, confused.

"Just answer the question, sir." Sam replied.

"No, I don't think so. Like I said, he got better. And after what happened to his wife." Mark said.

"His wife? So he was married." Dean said.

"She died about twenty years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." he nodded.

Dean suddenly seemed like he noticed the snake around Mark's neck and he stared at it with wide eyes. Mark noticed, smiling down at the snake.

"Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for." He nodded to the couch. "She smells fear."

Dean let out a squeak of panic as a snake began climbing up on the couch between him and Elena. Her skin crawled but it was nothing compared to Dean's reaction, who looked like he was about to run away. When it crawled down onto his lap, he remained perfectly still.

* * *

When Sam and Elena reached the Impala after looking through Frank's apartment, Dean was sitting in the car absentmindedly scratching his arm. They climbed and he jumped and stared at them.

"Hey. Any luck at the county clerk's office?" Sam asked, noticing his strange behavior.

"I'm not sure I'd call it luck. Frank's wife, Jessie, was a manic-depressive. She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over. Strung up in her motel room, suicide." Dean informed them.

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Elena wondered.

"No, Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi." Dean answered, turning the car on. "How was Frank's pad?"

"Clean. Searched it top to bottom." Sam answered as they drove through town. "No EMF, no hex bags, no sulphur."

"So probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons." Dean listed.

Elena noticed something strange, leaning forward with a confused look.

"Three down and ninety-seven to go."

"Yeah." Sam agreed, noticing the strange occurrence as well.

"Dean, you're going twenty." Elena said, staring at his odometer.

"And?" he replied.

"That's the speed limit." Sam informed him.

"What? Safety's a crime now?" Dean scoffed.

Sam and Elena exchanged a wary look before glancing back at Dean.

Moments later, he drove straight past their motel.

"Dude, where are you going? That was our hotel." Sam protested.

"Sam, I'm not gonna make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal." Dean argued.

They both looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Did I just say that? That was kind of weird." Dean chuckled, glancing around at them.

Suddenly they heard something strange. Sam reached down, unzipping his bag. When he took out the EMF meter, it started going crazy as it neared Dean. He looked panicked, jumping away from the device.

"Am I haunted? Am I haunted?" he yelled.

* * *

Elena sighed as she stood beside the car. Dean was lying inside with music blasting out of the stereo. When she saw Sam approaching, she thumped on the roof and he sat up as if a gun had gone off.

"How is he?" Sam muttered as he slowly climbed out.

"He's terrified of everything. He wouldn't touch the door to the motel room. He wouldn't take the elevator. He didn't want to come outside but he didn't want to go in anywhere. He's…" Elena took a deep breath, shaking her head. "We have to fix whatever this is."

"Look at this." Dean said, staggering out of the car.

Sam and Elena stared at the scratches on his arm, knowing that they'd seen them somewhere before.

"I just talked to Bobby." Sam said as Dean took the box of donuts from him.

"And?" he smelled the food before tossing it behind him into the Impala.

Sam looked confused before continuing.

"Um, well, you're not gonna like it." he said.

"What?" Dean breathed, sounding terrified.

"It's ghost sickness." Sam informed him.

Elena didn't know what that was but Dean paled visibly.

"Ghost sickness?" he repeated.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"God, no." he said, leaning back against the Impala.

"Yeah."

"I don't even know what that is." Dean admitted after a moment.

Elena rolled her eyes as Sam sighed.

"Okay. Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes." He explained.

"Okay, get to the good stuff." Dean hurried him.

"Symptoms are you get anxious..."

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Then scared, then really scared, then your heart gives out. Sound familiar?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Sam, we haven't seen a ghost in weeks." Elena reminded him.

"Well, I doubt he caught it from a ghost. Look, once a spirit infects that first person, Ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey." Dean said.

"Right. Get this, Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament. Which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

Dean attempted to hide his smile and he was unsuccessful.

"Were they gamecocks?"

Sam smirked as well, shaking his head.

"Cornjerkers."

They shared a grin before Elena cleared her throat and reminded them that there was more important things.

"So, ghosts infected Frank. He passed it on to the other guys and I got it from his corpse?" Dean asked.

"Right." Sam nodded.

"So now what, I have 48 hours before I go insane and my heart stops?"

"More like twenty-four." Sam corrected him.

"Super." Dean said, shaking his head. "Well, why me? Why not you? I mean, you got hit with the spleen juice."

"Yeah, um, you see Bobby and I have a theory about that too. Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

"Okay." Dean said, waiting for more explanation.

"Basically, they were all dicks."

Elena coughed to cover the laugh that threatened to bubble out of her throat. Dean stared over at her before looking at Sam.

"So you're saying I'm a dick?"

"No, no, no. It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor." Sam said.

"I don't scare people." Dean argued.

"Dean, all we do is scare people." Sam responded.

"Okay, well then, you're a dick too." He accused.

"Apparently, I'm not." Sam said, looking amused.

"Whatever." Dean snapped, not liking this at all. "How do we stop it?"

"We gank the ghost that started all this. We do that, the disease should clear up." He said.

"You thinking Frank's wife?" Elena asked.

"Who knows why she killed herself, you know?" Sam shrugged before glancing between them with confusion. "Hey, what are you doing waiting out here, anyway?"

Dean glanced up at the motel as Elena rolled her eyes.

"Our room's on the fourth floor."

Sam looked up and shook his head, not understanding.

"It's... it's high." He said, sounding nervous.

The younger brother sighed heavily, looking at Elena. She shrugged, not really knowing how to help it.

"I'll see if I can move us down to the first." He said.

"Thanks." Dean said, scrambling to get back into the Impala.

"Sure." Sam said, walking off as Elena stood by waiting.

* * *

Elena sat on the bed with a book in her lap. She was supposed to be researching but she couldn't help but watch Dena. He was acting even stranger, staring down at his own book with fear etched across his face. Every once in a while, he would glare up at the clock with an irritated look. After several minutes, he stood and crossed to it. Elena jumped up with panic as he grasped it, smashing it on the floor.

"Dean!" she protested, walking over to him.

He looked up at her with wide eyes just as the door opened and Sam walked inside. He saw them standing there with the clock smashed up between them and looked between the two.

"Everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah. Just peachy." Dean nodded, moving away from Elena to sit once again. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost." Sam said.

Elena saw Dean scratching his arm and she walked over, slapping his hand away.

"Quit picking at that." she admonished.

Sam sat down as well, staring at Dean.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Awesome. It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like." Dean grumbled.

"Yeah." Sam sighed.

"It's freaking delightful." He snapped.

Elena put her hand on his shoulder and he jumped slightly.

"We'll keep looking." She assured him.

He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly he began coughing. His face quickly turned red as he bent over.

"You okay? Hey!" Sam said, panicking as he stood.

Dean started to choke and he staggered to his feet, moving to the sink.

"Dean." Elena said with concern, following him.

They watched as he spat out a wood chip covered in blood. Sam picked it up, inspecting it.

"We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have, you." he said, looking up at Dean.

"I don't want to be a clue." He whimpered.

"The abrasions, this…" Sam held up the wood chip. "… the disease, it's trying to tell us something."

"Tell us what, wood chips?" Dean questioned, massaging his throat with one hand.

"Exactly." Sam nodded.

* * *

As they climbed out of the Impala, Dean looked up at the wood mill apprehensively.

"I'm not going in there." he said

"Yes you are." Elena and Sam said at the same time as he opened the trunk.

Dean took a deep breath before drinking out of a bottle of whiskey and replacing it in the door of the Impala.

"Let's do this." he nodded, trying to sound confident.

When he came to stand beside them, he glanced at the building once again.

"It is a little spooky, isn't it?"

They both gave him tired looks as Sam handed him a gun.

"Oh, I'm not carrying that." he refused, shaking his head. "It could go off. I'll man the flashlight."

He picked up the flashlight and held it to his chest.

Sam glanced at Elena with frustration and she shrugged, taking the handgun from him.

"You do that." he said.

Dean ducked away from Elena as she loaded the gun.

"Don't shoot me by accident." He said warily, eyeing the weapon.

"Oh I won't." Elena said, shooting him a comforting smile.

As she turned away, it disappeared.

"If I shoot you, it won't be an accident." She muttered low enough that he couldn't hear.

Sam choked out a laugh before gesturing for them to walk into the mill.

When they walked inside, Sam pulled out the EMF meter. It immediately began going off and they both sighed, glancing at Dean who was staring at it with fearful eyes.

"EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?" he asked.

"You don't say." Sam said, stowing it away. "Come on."

They walked forward but Elena saw something glint on the ground.

"Wait..." she said, startling Dean as she bent over and picked up the ring. "To Frank. Love, Jessie."

She looked up at them once she read off the inscription.

"What the hell was Frank doing here?" Dean said, confused.

"No idea." Sam shrugged.

They walked through the building slowly, Dean shining the flashlight around as Sam and Elena held their guns at the ready. When they reached a room full of lockers, all three of them heard rustling. Sam approached the locker that it was coming from, reaching out as he turned to them. He counted down, nodding at them as Dean shined the light on it. When he pulled it open, Dean let out a high-pitched scream when a cat flew out and ran off. Elena and Sam stared at him with matching expressions of shock as he continued screaming for several seconds. When he stopped, he bent over and took a deep breath, smiling with relief.

"That was scary!"

They both turned away, shaking their heads as they walked off.

"Wait." Dean said weakly, following them.

When they got to the room with the mill, they saw several desks lining the walls. Elena picked up an ID card off of one of them and read it aloud.

"Luther Garland."

Dean noticed a drawing at the same desk, picking it up.

"Hey, this is uh... this is Frank's wife." He said.

"Plot thickens." Sam commented.

"Yeah, but into what?" Dean wondered.

As they looked at the drawing, the machines behind them suddenly turned on. They all turned around and Dean began shining the flashlight around. He stopped with wide eyes when he saw a figure huddled in the corner.

"Hey!" Sam yelled, shooting at the apparition with his shotgun.

Elena felt something brush her side. When they turned, they saw Dean hauling ass out of the mill with a terrified look over his shoulder.

"I swear…" Sam sighed, shaking his head as they walked out.

When they got out to the Impala, Dean was huddled behind it drinking out of the whiskey bottle.

"Guess we got the right place." Elena said, glancing up at the mill.

* * *

Elena and Sam stood at the desk as the deputy handed over a folder.

"This is the Garland file."

His eyes caught sight of Dean swaying on the spot and he frowned.

"Is he... drunk?"

Sam glanced back and Elena went to steady him.

"No." he said, turning back to the man. "Deputy, according to this, Luther Garland's cause of death was physical trauma. What does that mean?"

"The guy died twenty years ago, before my time. Sorry." He shrugged.

"Then can we talk to the sheriff?" Sam questioned.

"Um, he's out sick today." Linus said.

"Well, if you see him, will you have him call us? We're staying at the Bluebird." Sam said. "Mind if I take this?"

The deputy shook his head and Sam turned to leave with Elena following him.

"Know what?" Dean said, peering at Deputy Linus. "You're awesome."

He pointed with a grin and the deputy smiled back.

"Thanks. Um, y-you too, I guess."

Elena walked back in, grasping his arm and giving the deputy a tired smile before dragging him off.

"Who was that?" the sheriff's voice suddenly came over the intercom.

"It's uh, those FBI guys." Linus answered.

"What did they want?"

"A file, Luther Garland's." the was no answer, just silence. "Sheriff?"

* * *

Dean trailed behind Sam and Elena as they walked into the retirement facility. He staggered away from a resident that was in the hallway with panic on his face.

"This isn't gonna work." Dean hissed, causing them to turn to face him. "Come on, these badges are fake. What if we get busted? We could go to jail."

"Dean, shh!" Sam said, seizing his shoulders. "Calm down. Deep breath, okay?"

Dean did as he said, inhaling deeply.

"There. You feel better?" Sam asked.

He shook his head and Sam sighed, looking frustrated.

"Just come on." he said, turning away.

"Don't scratch." Elena said, knocking his hand away from his arm.

They approached the elderly man slowly, Sam taking the lead.

"Mr. Garland. Hi uh, I'm Agent Tyler. This is Agent Perry, FBI. This is our analyst, Hamilton. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your brother Luther."

"Let me see some ID." He said before anything else.

Dean looked panicked as Sam pulled out his ID.

"Certainly."

Elena and Dean did the same, handing them over.

"Those are real, obviously. I mean, who would pretend to be an FBI agent, huh?" Dean said nervously. "That's just nutty."

Elena dug her heel into his foot and he whimpered before quieting down. Mr. Garland handed them back before nodding.

"What do you want to know?"

"Uh, well... according to this, your brother Luther died of physical trauma." Sam said, pulling out the file on Luther.

The man scoffed.

"You don't agree." Elena said.

"No, I don't."

"Well, then, what would you call it?" Sam asked.

"Don't matter what an old man thinks." Mr. Garland said, staring out the window.

"Mr. Garland. We're just trying to get the truth on your brother. Please." Sam said.

He stared at them for a moment before his shoulders relaxed.

"Everybody was scared of Luther. They called him a monster. He was too big, too mean-looking. Just too different. Didn't matter he was the kindest man I ever knew. Didn't matter he'd never hurt no one. A lot of people failed Luther. I was one of them. I was a widower with three young 'uns. And I told myself there was nothing I could do." He explained.

"Mr. Garland, do you recognize this woman?" Elena asked, handing him a picture.

"It's Jessie O'Brien. Her man, Frank, killed Luther." Mr. Garland said confidently.

"How do you know that?" Sam questioned.

"Everybody knows. They just don't talk about it. Jessie was a receptionist at the mill. She was always real nice to Luther, and he had a crush on her. But Frank didn't like it. And when Jessie went missing, Frank was sure that Luther had done something to her. Turns out the old gal killed herself, but Frank didn't know that. They found Luther with a chain wrapped around his neck. He was dragged up and down the stretch outside that plant till he was past dead."

Elena winced, unable to understand why someone was forced to endure such a horrible death.

"And O'Brien was never arrested?" Sam asked.

"I screamed to every cop in town. They didn't want to look into Frank. He was a pillar of the community. My brother was just the town freak." The elderly man said.

"You must have hated Frank O'Brien." Elena sighed.

"I did for a long time, but life's too short for hate. And Frank wasn't thinking straight. His wife had vanished, he was terrified. A damn shame he had to put Luther through the same, but... that's fear. It spreads and spreads."

Dean made a small noise beside them and Elena steered him away as Sam said goodbye to the old man.

* * *

"Now we know what these are, road rash." Dean said, gesturing to his arm as they walked out of the facility. "And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense. You're experiencing his death in slow motion." Sam nodded as they approached the Impala.

"Yeah well, not slow enough, huh? Say we burn some bones and get me healthy." Dean suggested.

"Dean, it won't be that easy." Elena said.

"No, no, it'll be that easy." He argued, looking at them with wide eyes. "Why wouldn't it be that easy?"

"Luther was road-hauled. His body was ripped to pieces. He was probably scattered all over that road. There's no way we're gonna find all the remains." Sam said, agreeing with her.

"You're kidding me." Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out." Elena said, keeping her tone light.

"You know what? Screw this." Dean snapped, loosening his tie.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dean." Sam said, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Come on. No, I mean, come on, Sam. What are we doing?" he demanded, his voice raising.

"We're hunting a ghost."

"A ghost, exactly! Who does that?" he yelled.

"Us." Sam answered.

"Us? Right. And that Sam, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean, come on, we hunt monsters! What the hell? I mean, normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not us, no, no, no, we… we search out things that want to kill us. Yeah? Huh?" Dean was staring at them with crazy, wide eyes.

"Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people! We... are insane! You know, and then there's the bad diner food and then the skeevy motel rooms and then the truck-stop waitress with the bizarre rash. I mean, who wants this life, Sam? Huh? Seriously? Do you actually like being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day? I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast. And I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again, a-and I sing along. I'm annoying, I know that. And you-you're gassy! You eat half a burrito, and you get toxic! I mean, you know what?"

Dean threw the Impala keys at Sam, who caught them.

"You can forget it."

He turned to walk away and Elena looked at Sam with a lost expression.

"Whoa, Dean. where are you going?" Sam asked.

"Stay away from me Sam, okay? Cause I am done with it. I'm done with the monsters and… and the hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn apocalypse. I'm out. I'm done. Quit."

They watched as he walked away, ranting to himself as he did.

"I guess let him walk it off?" Sam asked. "We still have seven hours."

Elena nodded, climbing into the car with him.

* * *

Three hours later, the door finally opened and Dean walked in. Elena jumped up, crossing the room to him as Sam came out of the bathroom with a panicked look.

"We looked everywhere for you, Dean." She said, pulling him inside.

"How the hell did you get here?" Sam asked.

"Ran." Dean sighed, collapsing into a chair. "What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

"No you're not." Sam sighed. "We just have to figure this out."

Dean looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"Back?" he asked.

Sam exchanged a look with Elena before glancing back at him.

"What, Dean?"

Suddenly Dean launched forward, grasping Sam's shirt and throwing him against the wall.

"No! You get out of my brother, you evil son of a bitch!"

"Dean!" Elena ran forward to peel him off of Sam.

"Hey, hey, hey, Dean." Sam said, trying to calm him.

He was staring at him with wild eyes and in the next moment, he passed out and fell to the floor.

"Hey, Dean." Sam said, dropping to the floor along with Elena.

"Dean." She said, trying to rouse him. "Dean!"

* * *

Sam watched as the other car drove up and slid off of the hood of the Impala.

"Howdy, Sam." Bobby said, climbing out.

"Hey, Bobby. Thanks for coming so quick." He said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Where's Dean?"

"Uh, home sick." Sam said. "Elena is watching over him while we take care of this.

"So, have his hallucinations started yet?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, a few hours ago." he nodded.

"How we doing on time?"

"We saw the coroner about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, so, uh... just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"

"This uh, encyclopedia of spirits dates to the Edo period." He handed Sam a book with Japanese text on the cover.

"You can read Japanese?"

Bobby answered fluently in the language and Sam had no idea what he said.

"Guess so, show-off." he muttered.

Bobby grinned at him before nodding at the book.

"Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy. It uh, infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

"It say how to kill it?" Sam asked.

"Same as usual. Burn the remains." Bobby said.

"Wonderful. Uh... is there a Plan B?"

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear. Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear." He answered.

"So we have to scare a ghost to death?" Sam said.

"Pretty much." Bobby confirmed.

"How the hell we gonna do that?" he wondered.

* * *

Elena stood up, walking away from Dean where he was situated on the couch staring at the wall as she picked up her ringing phone.

"Hey."

"Hey! So, uh, just ride out the trip, okay? Dean's gonna be fine. We got a plan." Sam said.

"What is it?" She asked, glancing at Dean.

"Uh, just a good plan, all right?" Elena frowned at his words. "Hang in there."

She pulled the phone away form her ear and glanced back at Dean, who was looking at her helplessly.

* * *

"This is a terrible plan." Bobby informed him.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam sighed as he glanced at the mill.

"I know I said, scare the ghost to death but this?" he said.

"Hey, you got a better idea, I'm listening."

* * *

Dean jerked up as the door began rattling. With a whimper, he backed away from it. Elena reached out, picking up her gun and pointing it at the door. Suddenly it slammed open and Sheriff Britton staggered in.

"Sheriff?" Elena said, catching sight of the gun in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Why are you looking into Luther Garland's death?" he demanded, pointing it between them.

Elena and Dean caught sight of blood running down his arm and they exchanged looks before easing forward.

"Hey, hey, you're… you're sick. You're sick." She said. "You're sick, all right? You have to relax."

The sheriff aimed the gun at them and they stopped short. Elena still had her own gun in her hands and she aimed it at him, wondering if she could take the shot on an innocent human if he tried to kill them.

"Frank O'Brien was my friend. So he made a mistake. So I didn't bust him. So what? And you're gonna bring me down over that?! No." he shook his head.

Dean suddenly threw himself forward, knocking the gun out of his hand. They began fighting as Elena watched with panic.

"Get away from me!" Britton said, staggering away from Dean as he began to hyperventilate.

"Al, you got to calm down!" Dean said desperately as Elena dialed for an ambulance.

"Step back!" he choked out, clutching at his chest.

* * *

"Any luck?" Bobby asked over the walkie talkie.

"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby. Last time he came right at us." Sam said as he walked through the mill. "It's almost like he's, uh... like he's scared."

"So now what?" Bobby questioned.

"I guess I got to make him angry." He answered, glancing up at the drawings of Jessie.

Sam grabbed a bunch of them and began tearing them to pieces.

"Hey, Luther!"

Machines turned on and began whirring around him.

"Come on, Luther! Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?" Sam turned around and found himself face-to-face with the ghost.

* * *

Dean sat on the bed as Elena paced in front of them. The ambulance had come but it was too late. They took away the sheriff's body and told them that they weren't responsible before leaving. Elena watched the clock nervously as he scratched as his arm.

"Huh, no! No!"

Elena looked at him to see him staring past her at someone she couldn't see.

"Dean?" she asked, approaching him.

"You… you are not real!" he said, sliding across the bed away from whoever it was.

He clutched at his chest as he looked terrified.

"You are not real."

Elena sat beside him, trying to get his attention.

"Why me? Why'd I get infected?"

"Dean?" Elena forced him to look over at her. "Hey, stay with me, you're going to be all right."

He shook his head, his eyes full of fear.

"They're going to drag me back." he whispered.

"Who?" Elena asked.

"The hellhounds. They're going to take me back."

She shook her head, gritting her teeth. She was not going to allow this to happen. Elena knew that she had no control over the situation but she was about to change that.

"You listen to me, Dean Winchester. You are not going back to hell. I am not going to let that happen." She said, putting her hand on his chest.

His heart was beating too quickly and she took a shuddering breath, steeling herself.

"I am right here and I am real. Whatever you're seeing is just a hallucination. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Elena moved in behind him and pulled him against her chest. She held him tightly to her, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"I am right here. Feel me and know that I will not let anything happen to you."

Dean's hand came up to grasp hers, his breathing picking up.

"It's going too fast." He grunted, wincing at the pain in his chest.

"Shh." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

* * *

"Bobby, punch it!" Sam yelled.

The Impala roared as he took off, dragging Luther's spirit behind him as the ghost screamed in panic. He kept going, circling around and driving as quickly as he could.

* * *

Tears burned in her eyes as she held him closer, her head bent over his as he argued with someone who wasn't there. Her eyes lifted to the clock and she saw that they only had minutes left. His heart pounding too quickly beneath her hand that was laid over his chest.

"Come on, Sam." Elena said pleadingly, one tear sliding down her face.

Dean trembled in her arms, a terrified noise escaping from his mouth. Elena fought back her sobs as she leaned down, pressing her lips to his forehead and praying for a miracle. Suddenly everything stopped. Dean took a deep breath and sat up, his heart returning to normal as he stared around at the room.

"They're gone." He whispered. "Everything is gone."

Elena pushed his sleeve up, seeing that the wounds were gone. A smile formed on her face as she wiped her eyes, turning away from him.

"Thank you." she whispered to no one in particular.

Dean took a hold of her wrist and she turned back to look at him.

"You pulled me through that." he said, looking up at her with wide eyes. "I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you."

Elena shook her head, reaching out to touch his cheek.

"You are stronger than you think, Dean Winchester."

He stared up at her, pulling her in closer. Elena's heart began beating quicker as they moved closer and closer. Just as they were about to kiss, the door rattled and they jumped apart to see Bobby and Sam rush in. They both looked relieved to see Dean alive and well. Elena looked away, getting her breathing back to normal as they questioned Dean. She felt his eyes on her but she couldn't bring herself to look back at him.

* * *

"So you guys road-hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked with disbelief.

They were just outside of the town with Bobby. Elena was perched on the hood of the Impala and the boys were standing as they all drank beers.

"Iron chain etched with spell work." Sam confirmed.

"Hmm, that's a new one." Dean nodded.

"It was what he was most afraid of. It was pretty brutal, though." He admitted.

"On the upside, I'm still alive, so uh, go team!" Dean said, smiling.

"Yeah. How you feeling, by the way?" Sam questioned.

"Fine." He said, sipping at his beer.

"You sure, Dean? Cause this line of work can get awful scary." Bobby said, teasing him.

Elena and Sam smiled, looking at Dean for his reaction.

"I'm fine. You want to go hunting? I'll hunt." Dean said, all of the sudden wanting to prove himself. "I'll kill anything."

Bobby looked at Sam and Elena with an amused expression.

"Aww." They said at the same time, looking at Dean as he rolled his eyes.

"He's adorable." Bobby said, smiling. "I got to get out of here. You three drive safe."

"You too, Bobby. Hey, thanks." Sam nodded at him.

Sam and Dean leaned on the Impala on either side of Elena, enjoying the rest of their beers before they took off.

"So uh... so, what did you see? Near the end, I mean." Sam said, glancing at Dean.

"Oh, besides a cop beating my ass?" Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"Seriously." He said.

Dean glanced at Sam and looked hesitant before he answered.

"Howler monkeys." He answered. "Whole roomful of them. Those things creep the hell out of me."

Elena remained quiet, suddenly fixated on the label of her beer bottle. Sam glanced between them/

"Right." he said skeptically.

"No, just the usual stuff, Sammy. Nothing I can't handle." Dean shrugged, glancing at Elena before looking away.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**

**Next Chapter: Elena makes her return to Mystic Falls with the brothers only to find that there is something very bad about to happen there. Being around her family and her old life is strange for her and the only one she can turn to is the one she is trying not to fall for.**


	10. Time is Running Out Now

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, Dark Alana, beverlie4055, Dean Winchester Rocks, xxPaige23xx, LineChokor, and the two guests for reviewing!**

**Chapter Title: The Howling - Within Temptation**

**1. To give you an idea of timing, Elena has been away from Mystic Falls for four months. It is November.**

**2. I have changed up the Mystic Falls chapters so I'd pay attention. They're not the same ones even though the concept might be the same. You may just miss something important.**

**3. Elena's outfit is on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

Elena crept through the old, broken-down house almost silently. Peering around corners and pointing the weapon out before her, she moved very slowly as she heard Dean's voice.

"You come near me with your fangs, I'll cut your fucking head off."

Elena took a deep breath and walked towards the room very slowly, praying that the wooden floor beneath her didn't creak. A groaning noise sounded and at the same time, she heard Dean spitting curses at the creature. Elena pulled out a spare arrow, kicking the door open. The vampire whirled around from where it was about to sink its teeth into Dean's arm. It let out a howl of fury, caked blood covered its face as it started to move forward. Elena fired off the first arrow from the crossbow, burying it in the vampire's heart. It stopped and looked down before pulling it out slowly. By the time it looked back up at her, she was loading the second and it buried in the vampire's shoulder.

The vampire screeched in frustration and yanked that out as well, dropping them both to the ground. Dean watched with wide eyes where he was chained to the ceiling with his arms over his head. When it started to advance on her again, the vampire staggered to the side and pressed a hand to the bleeding wound over its heart.

"Dead Man's Blood." Elena said, reaching back and pulling the machete out of the strap on her back.

She strode forward quickly, the tables turned as the vampire scuttled backwards. The blade swished through the air and connected with the creature's neck, spraying them with blood as it sliced clean through and the vampire's head dropped to the ground with a thud, followed by its body. Elena turned around, facing Dean where he was watching her patiently.

"So, how has your day been?" he asked.

Elena rolled her eyes and walked to him as she dropped the machete to the ground. Just as she began undoing Dean's chains, he gasped and jerked towards her.

"Elena watch out!"

She spun around and inhaled sharply as another rabid vampire darted towards her. Suddenly another body was blocking her way. They closed their eyes, shielding them against the bright light that lit up the room. When it was over, there was a thunk and they all looked up as Castiel turned around to look at her.

"Thanks for that." she breathed, smiling at him.

They all looked down at the vampire to see that his eyes were burnt out. Elena turned and continued to pick at Dean's chains. When they heard a snap of fingers, the chains were gone and Dean fell to the ground.

"Less thanks for that." Dean groaned, picking himself up off the floor as Elena laughed.

"How did the vampires capture you?" Castiel asked, squinting at them.

Elena looked over at Dean with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah Dean, how did they manage it?"

Dean hesitated, looking between the two gazes before sighing.

"How was I supposed to know the house had rabid, crazed vampires? I came prepared for ghosts because that's what the rumors in the area of the place suggests."

"Maybe if you'd waited until we finished researching, we could have avoided this. Sam is fine, by the way. He's resting back at the motel room." Elena said, looking at the red and bloody areas on his wrists where the chains had dug in. "Cas?"

He hesitated, looking surprised at the shortened name that they had become used to using without him around. The angel walked forward, pressing his fingers to Dean's forehead to heal him. When he stepped away, they both looked at him.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Dean questioned.

"To warn you of something." He said, looking calm and collected once more. "There is another seal about to be broken."

Elena and Dean exchanged a look before glancing back at him.

"Why can't you take care of it?" Dean asked.

"The angels have other concerns and this one affects you personally." He said.

"What does that mean?" Elena asked.

"The location of the seal is in Mystic Falls, Virginia."

* * *

Elena and Dean hurried into the motel room, the former throwing their possessions into their bags as the latter patted his brother.

"Up and at 'em Sammy." Dean said.

"Hmm?" he grumbled, lifting his head slightly to look at his brother. "I hate you."

Dean grinned, shaking his head.

"You love me. Really, though. We have to go."

"Why?" Sam asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"There's a seal that's about to be broken in Mystic Falls." Elena said quickly, pushing Dean out of the way to get to the books on the bedside table.

That got Sam moving. As he stood up, he looked at both of them strangely.

"Why are you guys covered in blood?"

Elena and Dean glanced at each other and she sighed, snatching up her bag before going into the bathroom to wash off.

* * *

When they finally managed to get in the car, Sam climbed in the back and immediately fell asleep again. They would have been concerned if it weren't for the fact that he hadn't slept in a while due to working cases and driving when Dean was too tired to do so. Elena and Dean were sitting up front and as she was finally able to sit down and think through what was happening, she became more and more nervous. Her foot tapped against the floor of the car as she chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Her hands played with the fringe on her scarf and she kept inhaling deeply as if trying to calm herself.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

She glanced over at him, nodding slowly.

"I think so. It just feels strange. I know how much I've changed and moved on from stuff since I left Mystic Falls and I can't help but wonder how much it's changed without me there." she admitted.

Dean looked at her sympathetically.

"I thought that way, you know. When you were driving me to Bobby's. Hell I'd been away for fourt- four months. It's a little different because I was wondering what happened in a bad way. I thought about who might have died and who might have been a new hunter. I didn't know whether or not anything was the same."

Elena nodded, feeling better now that someone knew how she was feeling.

"But I had you by my side driving me back to my life and now you have me." he said.

She smiled, warmth filling her. Their eyes stayed fixed on each other for several moments until Dean began drifting into the other lane. A loud honking filled the air and he turned, swerving back to avoid hitting the truck coming at them on the two-lane highway.

"Dude, look at the road when you're driving. Lena'll still be there when we stop." Sam mumbled, turning over before falling back asleep again.

Elena flushed as she looked out the window and Dean kept his eyes fixed on the road this time, keeping himself from getting distracted by the dark eyes of the girl next to him again.

* * *

Elena's breathing sped up again as they pulled into Mystic Falls. Sam was awake now and they were both looking around at the town curiously.

"This is… nice." Dean said, sounding surprised.

"You expected something less than nice?" Elena replied, glancing over at him.

"With a town full of vampires… yeah."

She smiled slightly and glanced out of the window of the car once more. Elena gave him directions until they pulled up to her house. With a great sigh, she climbed out and waited on Sam and Dean. There were no cars in the driveway but it wasn't surprising. It was Friday afternoon and Jeremy and Alaric should have still been at the school. Elena knocked on the door to be safe but no one answered.

"Need us to pick the lock?" Dean asked.

Elena looked over at him with a raised eyebrow before bending down and picking up the spare key from under the doormat.

"Normal people don't usually pick locks." She said, slightly amused.

They walked inside and the house was silent.

"You grew up here?" Sam asked.

Elena nodded, feeling strange walking into the house. It felt like she hadn't been there in ages when it had only been a few months. The brothers followed her as she walked through the kitchen into the living room and back around to the entryway. When Elena glanced upstairs, she took a deep breath before walking up. Sam and Dean both remained downstairs, hovering in the entryway. When she pushed her door open, she sighed when she noticed that everything looked the same. She walked in, sliding her hand over her bed and looking at the pictures still hanging on her mirror. She had no idea how long she was lost in her own little world when she heard the front door slam open.

"Who the hell are you?" a voice rang out.

Elena turned around with wide eyes before hurrying out of her room. She kicked off her shoes and grabbed them before flying down the stairs.

"Jer?" she breathed, seeing him staring accusingly at Sam and Dean.

He turned to look at her and his face broke into a grin. She smiled as well, throwing herself at him as she dropped her shoes. They embraced tightly for a few moments when he pulled away.

"Where have you been?" Jeremy asked, glancing at the brothers before looking back at her.

Elena sighed, knowing that would be the main question of her visit to Mystic Falls behind who Sam and Dean were.

"I'll explain everything as soon as everyone else eventually comes." Elena said. "I really don't want to tell the story a thousand times. Why are you here anyway, shouldn't you be in school?"

Jeremy shook his head.

"I have my last period free so a friend dropped me off at home. Alaric should be here soon, too."

Elena nodded, feeling anxious now that she was about to be faced with everyone who would want an explanation as to her disappearance.

"Might as well text Bonnie and Caroline. They'll want to hear this too."

Several minutes later, the boys were sitting in the living room. Elena was rummaging through the kitchen trying to get some drinks made for Sam and Dean. When she walked in with the lemonade, they both looked at it skeptically.

"Lemonade?" Dean said.

"Vervain-spiked lemonade." She answered, taking a drink of her own lemonade. "You're about to be surrounded by a few vampires and I'm not taking the chance that you'll be compelled."

They shared a look before taking a drink.

"She's really just worried that Damon will do something." Jeremy said.

Elena didn't deny it, knowing that, as soon as he found out she was in town, Damon would come in the door yelling at anyone he saw. When the front door opened once more, she looked around with a panicked expression.

"Jeremy? Did you buy an Impala?" Alaric said.

She let out a sigh of relief before standing up. When he came into view, he stared at her with shock for a few moments before dropping his bag and rushing towards her. Elena buried her face in his shoulder as they hugged.

"Hey Ric." Elena breathed, smiling.

"It's about time you came around." he replied, pulling away.

She beamed at him before turning to glance at her brother.

"Thanks for taking care of him."

"Eh, it's not too much trouble." Alaric shrugged before his eyes fell on the brothers.

"Alaric, this is Dean and Sam Winchester. Sam, Dean, this is Alaric Saltzman, the hunter I told you about."

Alaric looked shocked as he shook their hands.

"How in the hell did you manage to find the Winchesters?" he asked.

"You've heard of us?" Dean asked.

"I don't know a lot of hunters who haven't heard of you. You're pretty famous." He said.

"Wait, Winchester?" Jeremy said.

Elena looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"And how have you possibly heard about them?"

He looked like he was considering something before he turned to walk out of the room. They all looked after him quizzically before Elena turned to Alaric.

"How unbearable has Damon been?" she asked, sitting with him as she pulled her heels back on.

"Not as bad as…" Alaric was cut off by Jeremy hurrying back into the room.

He was holding one of their father's journals, passing it into Elena's lap.

"Look." he said, pointing at the writing.

She squinted as she read it, _J. Winchester visited, hunting a rvnt_. Her mouth opened slightly and she looked up at the brothers.

"I think our fathers knew each other." Elena said, moving to let them see his name in there. "Do you think that's a revenant?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look but weren't able to say anymore because the door slammed opened.

"Where is she? I'm going to kill her or hug her, I haven't decided."

Elena grinned as the brothers looked wary at the words. There was a blonde blur and suddenly she was yanked into her friend's arms.

"Hey Care." Elena gasped out, hugging her back. "You're cutting off my air supply."

"Where the hell have you been and why have you waited so long to come back and what the hell were you…"

Caroline cut off, catching sight of Sam and Dean.

"Oh." She said, glancing between them before looking at Elena with a wry grin. "Now I understand."

Elena blushed as Dean waved at her and Sam smiled and nodded.

"Come on." she hissed, dragging Caroline away. "Alaric, talk to Sam and Dean about hunting. I'm sure you all have plenty of stories to swap."

They hurried up the stairs and sat on Elena's bed.

"Who are those guys and where can I find some?" Caroline asked, her eyes wide.

"Aren't you with Tyler?" Elena asked, tilting her head to the side.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"It's whatever. He's started hanging out with Matt and Jeremy a lot more because apparently they've all made up. It also helps that…" Caroline cut off, looking at her with a hesitant expression.

"Helps that what?" Elena said, confused as to why she stopped.

"Nothing. So is one of those guys… the guy? The one you were dreaming about?"

Elena nodded, forgetting about what she was asking Caroline.

"The shorter one. His name is Dean. He was actually…" Elena glanced at the door, wanting to ensure that no one was listening. "He was actually in hell."

Caroline's eyes widened and Elena opened her mouth to speak but they were cut off by the sound of quick footsteps. Bonnie ran into the room, breathing heavily and grinning. Elena shot up and grabbed her into a hug, laughing as they fell back onto the bed.

"Okay I have a lot of questions but my first one is, who are those two gorgeous guys down there?" she asked.

"She was just about tell me everything." Caroline said, patting the bed next to her.

Bonnie sat up and Elena took a deep breath before launching into the entire explanation of what happened with her ever since she left Mystic Falls. It felt good to spill out everything to her two best friends because she knew that they would not judge her for any of it. When she was done, they were both gaping at her.

"That's all happened in four months?" Bonnie breathed.

"Angels exist?" Caroline asked.

"You have a hot hunter who you've kissed twice and you're not all over him?"

"You can heal Sam and Dean?"

"You're a badass hunter now?"

Elena smiled at their questions. As she tried to figure out how formulate her answers, there was a bang as the front door was thrown open. Elena's eyes widened and she knew exactly who that would be.

"Shit." She cursed, leaping off of the bed.

Caroline and Bonnie were hot on her heels as they hurried down the stairs. Damon was standing in the entryway with Alaric trying to calm him down as he began yelling about where Elena was. When he caught sight of her, he was in her face in the next second. His hand enclosed around her arm and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

"Get off of me, Damon." Elena said, trying to shove him away.

"Hey!"

Dean hurried forward with Sam following him as they entered the room. Damon's other hand shot out, closing around his throat.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Damon stop!" Elena yelled, her eyes wide as the vampire squeezed, causing Dean to choke and sputter.

She finally succeeded in wrenching her arm out of his grip. Her hand curled into a fist and she slammed it across his face, causing Damon to stagger back as he let go of Dean. Elena didn't stop, staring at him with fury as she slammed her knee into his stomach and punched him once more, ignoring the shooting pains in her hand.

"Elena!"

She turned around to see Sam holding her purse. He tossed her the vervain dart and she caught it easily, whirling around. Damon didn't have time to react before she was shoving him against the wall with the needle held threateningly against his heart.

"Do you want to stop or should I make sure you can't hurt anyone?" she demanded, glaring at him.

Damon looked at her with shock as everyone else stood frozen in place. Clapping sounded outside of the open front door and everyone's heads turned slowly. Elena stared with wide eyes at the person standing there. She pulled away from Damon and he didn't try to move from where he was standing.

"Klaus." Elena said warily, moving away from Damon as she kept her eyes on the hybrid. "What are you doing in Mystic Falls? I thought Castiel's warning was clear enough."

"I'm not bothering anyone, am I?"

Elena glanced around at the others to see that they were all avoiding her gaze.

"Oh but you're genuinely surprised to see me." Klaus said, looking amused as she turned back to him with a glare. "That means you don't know."

"Know what?" she demanded with gritted teeth.

Caroline hurried forward.

"I was going to tell you, Elena." she said, looking guilty.

"Tell me what?" she asked, frustrated.

Klaus was smirking, looking as though he was having far too much fun with this.

"I've been back in Mystic Falls ever since you and I had our unfortunate meeting in Chicago."

Elena inhaled sharply, turning to face her family.

"And no one thought to tell me about this?" she asked, anger filling her.

"You weren't exactly easy to get a hold of." Jeremy argued.

"Bonnie has my number so don't come at me with that bullshit." Elena snapped.

They all looked abashed. When Damon stepped forward, her head turned and she stared at him warningly.

"Relax, Xena. I'm not going to attack again." He said, holding his hands up in surrender. "We didn't want you here because of Stefan."

Elena tilted her head to the side.

"Stefan is here too?" she asked.

She saw Dean looked down at his feet at the mention of her ex.

"Yep and doing great. Except for the constant need to murder and maim. He's currently locked up in our luxury basement dungeon." Damon said, smiling.

Elena scowled at him before looking around at everyone else.

"Why does me being here have anything to do with Stefan?"

"We've been trying to fix what Klaus did to him. We thought that if you knew he was back here, you would come and maybe interrupt whatever progress we might have made." Bonnie said, sounding ashamed even as she spoke the words.

"You were unwelcome in your own town, lovely." Klaus said, looking far too amused.

Elena turned back to him, a heated glare on her face.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

Klaus opened his mouth but someone else stepped up onto the porch.

"The truth, Niklaus." Elijah said. "No more teasing."

The hybrid took a deep breath, looking annoyed as a blonde female that Elena recognized stepped up as well to stand next to him.

"We need your help." Klaus finally managed to say.

Elena stared at him with shock, not expecting those words to come out of his mouth.

"You want to run that by me again?" she choked out.

"As soon as we heard of your reappearance in Mystic Falls, we knew that you could help us. If you wish to do so, we would invite you to discuss terms of an agreement between us." Elijah said.

"I don't know." The blonde female said, tilting her head as she stared at Elena. "She looks a bit scrawny."

"She's qualified, Rebekah." Elijah replied, not taking his eyes off of Elena.

"You want my help and you want to discuss conditions?" Elena said, staring straight at Klaus.

He looked pained, a slight grimace on his face.

"Yes." Klaus finally managed to say.

Elena strode forward, her hand reaching out to pull the door closer to her.

"I have half a mind to slam this in your face, you cold-hearted bastard." She hissed, not forgetting that she was looking upon the monster who killed her aunt. "But I'm curious as to what the great and powerful Klaus can't handle by himself. Mystic Grill, one hour. We're doing this in public."

Klaus opened his mouth as if to argue but Elijah put his hand on his shoulder to reign him in.

"Thank you, Elena." he said, pulling his siblings off of the porch.

Elena nodded at him, watching as they left before she shut the door. When she turned to face everyone who remained, they all looked as though they wanted to speak. She held up her hand, shaking her head before she walked past them all. Her hand brushed Dean's and he glanced at her, nodding as she asked him a question silently. Everyone watched as he followed her up to her bedroom. Elena paused on the step, glancing down at Damon.

"If you can't control yourself around me and my friends, I think you should stay away from us while we're in Mystic Falls. I'm not going to tell you twice. I'm not a porcelain doll you can push around to your hearts content anymore. I will kick your ass if you touch Dean or Sam again. I've already killed one vampire today. Don't push me."

At that, she turned and continued walking upstairs.

"What was that about?" Jeremy wondered, confused as to why his sister disappeared with one of the hunters upstairs.

"They calm each other." Sam said simply, used to their need for alone time.

* * *

They were sitting on her bed, both leaning against the headboard. Her legs were stretched out across his and she was touching his throat with concern.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Elena questioned, knowing that it was probably going to bruise because of Damon's grip.

She still had no idea how to heal them without Castiel to help her along so that was out of the question. There was also the fact that Dean had no idea that she could heal him.

"I'm fine." he assured her.

She took a deep breath, sitting back.

"You know, I used to feel so proud of myself here when I would fight back against the people who were always trying to hurt me. Now, when I fight back, shooting those monsters, I don't feel pride. I… I don't feel much of anything. It's like it's normal and there's no real reason to dwell on it." she said, not really sure why she was pointing this out.

Dean looked over at her, his eyes understanding.

"You should be proud of yourself. I do not know a single eighteen-year-old girl that can be so calm and collected in those situations. I haven't seen you panic yet. I mean when that vampire had me, you were badass. Same with the rugaru and the shapeshifter." he said.

Elena sighed, looking down at her hands. He only thought that because he wasn't awake for the one time that she had panicked. He was bleeding out on the floor and she was screaming for an angel to come help.

"Are you ever proud of yourself?" she asked, looking back at him.

"Nah. This is my job. Has been my entire life. There's no reason to be proud. It's just what I do." Dean shrugged, looking around at her room.

Elena wanted a distraction, not liking the serious talk all of the sudden.

"So, tell me about you as a teenager." She said, wanting to get on a happier subject.

He let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"I… I was a jackass. I really was. I'm surprised my dad put up with me. I loved hunting and I hated going to school. But I had to keep an eye on Sammy so… I was a little bit of a ladies man." he said, looking at her as if expecting a negative response from her.

"No? You?" she questioned with a grin, her eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. Yeah I was." he nodded, looking out at the parking lot and then back at her.

She let out a laugh and shook her head.

"What about you? Any scandalous secrets I should know? Are you a felon?" He said with a grin.

She laughed and shoved him sideways as he guffawed.

"I was… well I was a lot more fun before the accident. I was a cheerleader and… well… I was a little bit of a party girl." Elena shrugged, thinking back on the days when she would raid the liquor cabinet with Caroline and Bonnie before bribing someone to refill it so that they wouldn't get in trouble.

"Really?" Dean asked, it was his turn to raise his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, I was a little bit wild. I don't really know why. But then my parents died and I think I turned into a bit of a bore. I just didn't find that stuff fun anymore. I wasn't even going to do the Miss Mystic Falls competition and…"

"Wait wait wait, the what competition?" Dean stopped her, holding his hands out.

Her cheeks burned and she knew that he would make fun of her for it.

"It's a sort of pageant. All of the young women of the town dream of being in this thing but it's really a competition between the daughters of the founding families." Elena said.

"Founding families?" Dean asked, sounding as though this story was getting better and better for him.

"Yes, the founding families. The Gilbert family, the Forbes family, the Lockwood family, the Fell family, and… well… the Salvatores but you know, they're vampires and male." She said, nodding.

"And you all, what, dress up all pretty and dance around and stuff?" Dean asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." She replied.

"Did you win?" he asked, grinning at her.

"No, Caroline did. But I didn't try very hard, you know? It was only a few months after the accident and Stefan was… well he was going through a hard time and Damon was there being confusing and… I was overwhelmed so winning was the last thing on my mind. I did not care that Caroline won." She sighed.

"Well, if it makes a difference, I think you would have made a wonderful Miss Mystic Falls whatever." He assured her.

She smiled up at him. Her mind wandered as she studied his flawless yet troubled face. He may not have been showing it all the time, but she could tell that there was almost something going through his mind that troubled him. She reached out and touched his face hesitantly.

"I'm so sorry." Elena murmured, caressing his cheek.

"For what?" he asked, his voice soft and questioning.

"For what you had to go through. For having to live through hell for four months." She said, feeling such horrible sadness for this broken man in front of her.

He may have hidden behind perverted jokes and rock music, but she could see that he was truly broken. And there was nothing she wanted to do more than heal those wounds but it wasn't as easy as pressing her hands to his heart and praying for it to work. Dean took a shuddering breath and his hand came up to close over hers. His eyes closed and he just let her cradle his face. When she saw one lonely tear slide out from his dark lashes, she felt her heart break even more for him.

"It wasn't four months." Dean said hoarsely.

Elena stared at him with confusion as his green eyes opened to look into hers.

"What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"Time… I don't know, it works differently down there." he said, staring down at his hands now. "One month… is more like ten years."

Elena quickly caught up with what he was saying, her hand going to her mouth as she considered the implications of what he was telling her.

"Forty years." She realized.

Dean nodded, looking up at her.

"Oh I am so sorry." Elena breathed, knowing that she should have realized that there was something different about the way that he talked about hell.

He never spoke of it as if it was four months. It seemed like an eternity whenever he brought it up and now she knew why.

"For thirty years, there was torture. Every damn day, they would tear me up and stitch me back together just to start in again." Dean said, looking away from her. "But you were there. Every once in a while I would see you and I would have the strength to move past it. Every day they would ask me the same question, give me the same offer. I could get off of the rack if I put other souls on and tortured them."

Dean took a deep, shuddering breath and shook his head.

"I said no for thirty years but then I stopped seeing you. I stopped feeling all hope. There was nothing else and I was so tired." he sighed.

Elena stopped him, her finger on his lips.

"I already know." She whispered.

Dean stared at her with surprise.

"What?"

"You must not remember it. I think that it was just before Castiel pulled you out. It was the last dream I ever had and I saw you… with the blade in your hand." Elena said in a hushed voice.

Dean stared at her with shock, sitting up

"You knew?" he asked. "You knew and you're… you're still here?"

Elena sat up as well, frowning at him.

"Of course I'm still here." She said, reaching out to take his hand. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere, didn't I?"

Dean watched her for a moment before she was suddenly yanked into his chest. His arms encircled her and held on tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder. Elena wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair soothingly.

"I'm with you, Dean."

* * *

The entire group walked into the restaurant to several stares. Most of them might have been aimed at Elena since she'd randomly disappeared one day during the summer without warning. They immediately caught sight of the original siblings sitting up where a pool table was. They approached them, Elena stepping up to Klaus.

"What do you need help with?" she asked.

"Getting right to the point, aren't we?" Klaus said, gesturing to the table. "Fancy a game?"

Elena sighed, glancing over her shoulder before nodding in agreement. She broke the balls and the game was starting.

"If I'm going to even think about helping you, I want every bit of information that you can give me. No surprises." Elena said as she bent over the table.

"To explain that, I'll need to give you a bit of background. On the Original witch." Klaus replied, leaning against the table casually as she lined up her cue.

The ball flew into the pocket with precision. Elena felt the eyes of the entire group on them as they circled the table.

"Then by all means…" she said, missing the mark this time and gesturing for him to go.

"You know that the Original witch was the one who put the curse on me in the first place." Klaus said.

"Yes, I do." Elena said, watching as he sunk the ball into the pocket.

"Did you know that she was also our mother?" Rebekah asked, walking up to lean against the table.

Elena stared at them for a moment.

"No, I didn't." she admitted.

"Tsk. Elijah didn't fill you in on everything did he?" Klaus said mockingly, looking back at his brother.

Elena shook her head with annoyance as he missed the pocket and it was her turn.

"It was my mother. Once she did so, I think that everyone, including my siblings, expected me to kill her out of rage." Klaus said.

"That is true, we did." Rebekah confirmed.

"But I knew that I needed to keep her around for the purpose of breaking the curse at some point. Unfortunately, my father needed to be rid of her so that I didn't get a chance to do so. It helped that he no longer loved her after finding out that she had an affair with a werewolf and that I wasn't his son. So when he ripped her heart out, I was beyond furious. He disappeared soon afterwards. Luckily, I got the witch, Ayanna, to preserve my mother's body. You know Ayanna, Bonnie. Or at least you've drawn your power from her." Klaus said, turning to look at the witch, who narrowed her eyes at him.

"Get on with it, Klaus." Bonnie sighed, refusing to be drawn into his bait.

"Fine. So I kept her around hoping to one-day figure out how to revive her so that I could perform the ritual to break the curse. But then I figured out how to do it myself and obviously had no use for her body anymore. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, her body remained untarnished. Ayanna preserved her body too well. It then became clear that the witch did not preserve her so that she would help me break the curse in the future, but so that she would one day rise and fix the wrongs that she committed." Klaus said.

"Wrongs?" Elena asked.

"Klaus left something out. Not only was our mother the one who put the curse on him. She was the witch who created vampirism. We imagine that after being punished for it for a thousand years, our dear mother will probably be willing to fix what she broke." Elijah said.

"Fix? Vampires?" Elena asked, unsure of how this could happen.

Klaus grimaced and she knew that there was more to it than fixing the species itself.

"Not fix vampires. Get rid of them." He said.

Elena laughed and shook her head.

"She would have to spend a thousand more years hunting down every vampire on the planet." She said.

"Not if there's a fail safe." Rebekah suggested.

Elena stopped playing and stared at them.

"Is there a fail safe?" she asked.

"There is a legend that if an Original dies, every single vampire that he or she made dies as well as the vampires they made and the vampires they made. Of course, we haven't exactly been willing to test it out." Elijah said.

"It would take out the entire family tree." She sighed.

The three Originals nodded. Despite the horrible consequences of the decisions, it was a pretty genius plan. Elena, instead of continuing to talk to them, turned to the Winchesters, who were looking stunned by the conversation.

"A thousand year old witch rising from the dead and wiping out an entire species, you think that sounds like a seal to be broken?"

Realization dawned on both of their faces.

"That's what I thought." She murmured.

"What the hell is a seal?" Damon scoffed.

"Nothing." Elena said, not wanting to explain it to them.

"Does it have something to do with that angel of yours?" Klaus said, smirking at her.

"It has something to do with Lucifer." She said plainly, staring at him.

His smirk immediately fell and he looked shocked.

"I know it's hard to imagine someone who is even worse than you but, judging by the look on your face, you're like a fluffy puppy compared to the devil. So I'm guessing you don't want him to rise out of his little cage." She said, leaning forward on her cue.

"His minions are bad enough. Why would I want to see him rise?" Klaus growled.

"Then it would seem to me, Klaus, that we're on the same side this time." she said.

Neither of them was under the impression that this sudden unity was without conditions.

"What do you want?" he asked, leaning forward as well.

"In exchange for your full cooperation with whatever myself and my friends decide to do?" She confirmed.

"Yes." He sighed.

Her face became deadly serious and she stared at him.

"Fix Stefan." She said.

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what if I said no?" he asked.

"Did you already forget that I have an angel on speed dial?" she shot back, narrowing her eyes back at him.

She knew by the look in his eyes that she'd won. Klaus held his hand out hesitantly. Before she shook his hand, Elena looked over at Elijah.

"You broke our last agreement. I know that must have been difficult with you. I still believe that you are an honorable man, Elijah. So tell me, when I make this deal with your brother, can I trust him to keep this deal?" she asked.

He nodded solemnly. Elena turned back to Klaus and hesitantly shook his hand. She may not have made a deal with the literal devil, but she felt as though she'd gotten close enough. When she turned back to Sam and Dean, they looked hesitant.

"We need Bobby." Elena said.

"I'm on it." Sam said, pulling his phone out.

"Who the hell is Bobby? What the hell is going on?" Damon demanded.

"We're helping the Originals and the rest of the entire race of vampires to stay alive. So go take Klaus to the boarding house so that he can fix Stefan." Elena suggested.

"We don't need his help fixing him." the elder Salvatore scoffed.

"Would you just stop being so damn stubborn and do it? Trust me when I say that we will need all hands on deck for this, and that includes Stefan." She said, glaring at him. "You made the mistake of thinking that I would do harm to Stefan's recovery once. Don't do it again."

Damon grumbled and turned to walk out with Klaus and Alaric hot on his heels.

"Can we eat here?" Dean asked, looking hungry.

"Oh God yes." Elena sighed, feeling quite hungry herself.

* * *

Elena hurried out to the Impala when she remembered that she left her phone sitting on the seat. Bobby was texting her questions about the original siblings and the seal that she had to answer and Sam didn't want to be the go-between. As she straightened up, she felt a presence behind her. Elena whirled around to see a man watching her, his eyes squinting slightly.

"Who are you?" she questioned, knowing that this had to be someone suspicious.

The man strode towards her, looking unbothered.

"I think the best way to describe myself is a hunter. You would know me as a different title, Mikael."

Elena staggered away, her eyes wide.

"You're their father." She said. "But they said you'd disappeared."

"Oh I did. Luckily, someone decided that it was worth bringing me back for this special time."

She stared at him questioningly, unsure of what to do.

"There are vampires in there. They can hear every word we're saying." She reminded him, nodding at the restaurant.

"True." Mikael nodded. "But I don't think they'll get to you in time."

"In time for what?" Elena asked.

He simply smiled before seizing her head and slamming it into the car, knocking her out.

* * *

When she came back to consciousness, Elena groaned and fought to open her eyes against the pain radiating through her head.

"What the hell?" she groaned, finding that she was tied to a chair in a cellar.

"Nice of you to join us." A bitter, familiar voice said.

Elena pried her eyes open and turned to see her doppelganger glaring back at her.

"Katherine, what's going on?" she asked.

"Mikael has us. I think he intends to kill Klaus." Katherine said.

Elena frowned, shaking her head.

"No I need him to stop… the thing." She mumbled.

"Yeah well, I don't think you're going to be stopping anything." The other female said.

"What does that mean?" Elena asked.

"I think Mikael intends on killing us as well to end the Petrova line." She answered.

Elena sighed, shaking her head as she turned away.

"And what idiot let Mikael know where Klaus was."

There was silence and Elena glanced over to see Katherine staring off with a blank look.

"Oh you bitch." She sighed, struggling with the ropes binding her to the chair.

"I thought he would kill Klaus. It turns out he will but he's not going to be done after that. You think you're bad off?" Katherine snapped back. "He's had me for an entire week and I don't have anymore vervain in me. These ropes are soaked in it."

Elena rolled her eyes, finding it hard to feel sorry for her.

"We're both about to die because you were fucking stupid enough to lead another original into Mystic Falls. I don't think I'm feeling the sympathy for you." she said.

Katherine didn't say anything for several minutes.

"It could be worse." She said.

"How?" Elena demanded.

"You could be tied up in here with Damon instead. Rumor has it, he could talk your ear off about how pissed he is that you escaped Mystic Falls."

Elena glared over at her.

"Go to hell, Katherine."

* * *

**I hope you liked it! I told you I was changing it a bit. Review please!**

**Next Chapter: Mikael goes through with his plan to confront Klaus and Elena has to figure out how to save herself quickly. The events are set in motion for Esther to rise.**


	11. There is Thunder in Our Hearts

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**We are at 100 reviews already and I love you all!**

**Thanks so much to okgurl87, beverlie4055, Dark Alana, RHatch89, taylena4ever, Dean Winchester Rocks, regrets-collect93, xxPaige23xx, DeanElenafan, Roswell Triquetra, JMHUW, and animagirl for reviewing!**

**To okgurl87, Elena is eighteen and Dean is twenty-eight. I changed it a little from canon just because I wanted to. Sam is twenty-four.**

**Chapter Title: Running Up That Hill - Placebo**

**A few things:**

**1. IMPORTANT: If you like, when you leave a review for this chapter, let me know something that you would like to see in the story. This is a 100-review celebration thing.**

**2. I actually really hate this chapter but I didn't realize that until I finished it. At that point, I wasn't going to rewrite the whole thing. I hope you don't hate it or me too much for it. **

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile as well as the dagger that Castiel uses near the end.**

**4. Read number 1.**

**5. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

"Where the hell is she, Klaus?" Caroline demanded.

As soon as they realized that Elena was missing, they'd converged on the Salvatore boarding house to confront Klaus.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said innocently, walking up the steps from the dungeon where Stefan was recovering.

"You are the only one who could have done this." Jeremy snapped.

"I think you'll find that is not true." Klaus said, his eyes flashing to Sam and Dean. "What do you think, hunters?"

Dean shook his head.

"No, there's no way anything took her on our side of things." he refused.

"Why? Because you have the angels?" he said.

"Angels?" Alaric questioned.

Klaus strode forward, staring straight at Dean and Sam.

"They're not as clean as they make themselves seem. Don't fail to forget that they are warriors, killers. They are God's greatest weapons to bring down on the poor souls stuck here on earth."

Dean remained quiet as Sam shook his head.

"The angels are trying to stop this earth from being destroyed. What are you doing to help with that?" he demanded.

"Niklaus, did you or did you not take Elena?" Elijah asked calmly.

"I did not. Damon was with me." he said, nodding at the other vampire who was walking up the stairs.

"Unfortunately, I can vouch for him. Killing him won't help Elena be found." Damon said bitterly, glancing at the brothers. "I thought you two were supposed to be her big protectors."

Dean scowled at Damon as Klaus' phone rang.

"If you knew anything about her, you would know that she doesn't need anyone to protect her. I'd bet my life that she's already figured out how to get the upper hand on whatever son of a bitch was stupid enough to take her."

"I wouldn't be so certain." Klaus said warily, hanging up his phone and glancing at Elijah and Rebekah. "I know who took her."

* * *

Elena and Katherine both looked up as the door slammed open. Mikael came in dragging another female with him, her flaming red hair escaping from her ponytail.

"Time to start the show." He said, pulling her around.

"What do you mean?" Elena demanded.

"I just had this little witch inform Klaus that I was the one who took you. He'll be tracking you with that witch friend of yours at any moment and he'll come right into my trap. Then I will kill him and we will all be without his presence in our lives." Mikael announced. "So I don't really need you, darling."

Elena watched with horror as he snapped the witch's neck and let her fall to the ground. She looked back up at him, her gaze hardening.

"You shouldn't have done that." she said.

"Why's that?" Mikael said, sounding amused as he walked towards her to untie the binds so that he could drag her upstairs.

"Because I'm untrackable." Elena said.

He stopped, looking around at her. His eyes fell to the chain around her throat and he took a hold of it, ripping it off so quickly that she felt it cut into her skin. Blood dripped down her neck as she watched him break it open. When he tried to touch the herbs inside, he hissed and withdrew it to find that vervain was hidden amongst them. He let out an angry growl, tossing it to the side before wrenching her up by her arm. Mikael slammed her back into the pole that she'd been tied to and her head swam as it snapped backwards and hit it hard. It did not feel good, getting two head injuries within hours of each other.

"You shouldn't have done that either." She choked out, slumping in his arms as he held her up.

"Why's that?" Mikael demanded.

Elena glared at him before slamming her head into his. He staggered backwards more out of shock than anything else as she let out a cry of pain. Elena didn't let it stop her. She kicked her shoes off and punched him across the face before shoving him to the side. Elena dashed towards the stairs as quickly as she could, running up them. Mikael's hand seized her arm and dragged her backwards as she let out a scream of pain. When he forced her to turn around, she heard a disgusting pop and white-hot pain blinded her.

As he shoved her against the wall with his hand putting pressure on her dislocated shoulder, Elena fought to keep herself conscious. She reached into her jeans, finding the pocketknife clipped onto her waistband that was hidden from view. Mikael didn't see it until she clicked it open. Elena shoved it into his throat, not waiting to see if it did any damage. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she could, attempting to breath past the pain in her shoulder. She crashed through the door and staggered into the abandoned, dusty house. She turned her head, catching sight of a table full of weapons. Mikael was crashing up the stairs, yelling at her furiously.

Elena dove for the table, grabbing the first thing that she could find. It was a dagger with the white oak ash accompanying it in a little jar. She dipped it in just as Mikael flew at her. She turned in time for him to tackle her to the ground. Elena shoved it into his heart, gasping with pain as he froze in shock. Slowly, his skin turned grey and his eyes fluttered closed. She let out a cry of pain as she used both of her arms to shove him off of her. He thumped to the ground and didn't move again. Elena staggered to her feet and stared down at him, turning him over with her foot.

"Fuck you." she spat at him, turning back to the basement.

She felt blood leaking out of the cut on her forehead from Mikael knocking her out at the Grill and another cut on her nose and lip from slamming her face into his. She ignored the wounds, holding her injured arm close to her body as she staggered towards the stairs. Elena walked down them slowly, picking up the bloodied pocket knife as she did so. When she re-entered the basement, Katherine looked up at her with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"You sure put up a fight." She acknowledged.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were gunning for me to lose it." Elena sighed, moving towards her.

Katherine watched her warily as she kneeled next to her and began sawing at the ropes holding her in place. Her wrists were blistered and bleeding from the vervain.

"What are you doing?" the vampire asked.

"You need to get out of here before the others get here. Klaus won't be happy to see you." she said.

Katherine stared at her with confusion.

"Why are you doing this?"

Elena glanced up at her as she pulled the ropes off.

"Because I know that you'll be useful later and now you owe me your life. I'll be collecting the debt and I have backup. I'm sure you've heard of angels."

The vampire paled slightly as she stood up.

"I have." Katherine admitted.

"Then you know that you would be stupid to try to kill me again." Elena warned. "Now go."

She turned towards the stairs but Elena stopped her once more.

"Katherine."

She turned back to face her and Elena slammed the fist of her good arm across her face, satisfied when she saw blood leak out of her nose. Katherine lifted her head to glare at her.

"You deserved that. Get out." Elena said.

In the next moment, the vampire disappeared and she was left alone. Elena felt her vision blackening from the throbbing pain in her arm but she fought to keep awake, staggering up the stairs once more. She knew that she had minutes before the others showed up. She looked at the weapons on the table, spotting one that looked like an intricately carved stake. Something in her head told her that it would be important. Elena reached out to grasp it, taking a deep breath as turned to the door. The sun was shining brightly, barely risen above the horizon. She now knew that Mikael had them for a good seven or eight hours. Elena swayed on the spot, listening closely. When she heard the deep rumble of the Impala, her body relaxed and she turned her head to see several cars pulling up. Klaus and Elijah were the first ones to reach her, one question in their eyes.

"Mikael is inside. I wouldn't remove the dagger if I were you." Elena sighed, nodding at the broken down farmhouse.

They looked surprised in the instant before they darted into the house. Dean and Sam were the next to reach her, both looking at her bloodied and beaten appearance with shock.

"I have a dislocated shoulder." She said, staggering towards them. "Some whiskey would be nice right about now."

Dean caught her as she collapsed, her vision darkening as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Elena slowly came out of her sleep, immediately hearing voices all around her arguing. The main two belonged to two people who did not surprise her by arguing. She let out a light groan, pain flooding her body as she tried to figure out where she was.

"Elena?" Caroline's concerned voice broke through her fuzzy state of mind.

She let out another groan, trying to force her eyes open.

"Elena, say something." Bonnie said, sounding panicked.

She took a deep breath, finally opening her eyes to see their faces hovering before her.

"Tell Damon and Dean to shut the fuck up." Elena grumbled.

Caroline grinned as everyone else grew silent. Her and Bonnie helped Elena to a sitting position as her head swam with pain.

"Shit." She sighed, pressing her hand to her head.

"Lena?" Dean said, kneeling in front of her.

She peered at him.

"Why were you arguing with him?" Elena asked, glancing up where Damon was glaring at them in the entrance to the living room.

She was at home, the others minus the Originals surrounding her.

"He wanted to set your shoulder while you were sleeping. I said you'd kill us all if you woke up to that happening." Dean said.

Elena considered it before nodding.

"I'm glad you held him off. I would have killed you all." She agreed. "But now that I'm awake, it hurts like a bitch."

She gestured to it and he hesitated.

"Come on, Dean." Elena sighed. "I've seen you do this with your brother. If you don't do it, I'll get Sam to."

Dean glanced around before sighing heavily. He reached towards the coffee table and pressed a bottle into her hands.

"You requested it." he said with amusement.

Elena huffed out a laugh as she saw the open bottle of whiskey. Without hesitation, she lifted it to her mouth and took a swig. Wincing as it burned, she let out a sigh and swallowed hard. After several more drinks, she passed it back.

"Do it." Elena said hoarsely, preparing herself.

Dean moved onto the couch beside her hesitantly.

"Shouldn't we be taking her to the hospital for this?" Bonnie asked, sounding afraid.

"So they can ask why I look like I went ten rounds with a wrestler?" Elena said, knowing how terrible she must have looked. "No thanks."

She nodded at Dean once more and he put his hand on either side of her injured shoulder. Elena gasped at the light touch and he sighed.

"One of the vampires might want to offer their hand up for her to hold. She'll probably break anyone else's."

Elena glared at him.

"I don't need a hand to hold." She snapped. "Just fucking do it."

"She's a bit pissy when…" Damon's words were drowned out in the next moment.

Elena let out a bloodcurdling scream as Dean shoved her shoulder back into place. Sam caught her as she slumped forward and tears streamed down her face.

"Elena?" Jeremy said, panicked.

She waved him off, breathing through the pain as she pulled herself back up to sitting. Dean looked at her with concern as Caroline passed the bottle of whiskey back over. Elena let out a breathless laugh before taking a few more swigs.

"We should clean that up." Dean said, gesturing to the wounds on her face.

Elena nodded and sat back, holding her arm across her chest. Jeremy came forward with a sling in his hands that she recognized from the one she used after the car accident that took their parents. Elena stared at it with a wary expression before nodding. Sam helped Jeremy maneuver her into it and she thanked them quietly. When Dean re-entered with the first aid kit, everyone looked like they were bursting with curiosity.

"What happened?" Bonnie finally asked.

"Are any of the Originals near?" Elena asked, not wanting to give away the entire story to them since much of it involved Katherine.

They all shook their heads. Elena told them everything as Dean cleaned her wounds and put bandages on them. When she was done, everyone but Sam and Dean stared at her with surprise.

"You took on an Original vampire and won?" Damon said.

"Of course she did." Dean said, nodding.

"Nothing she hasn't been able to handle yet." Sam said, smiling at her.

Elena smiled back, pushing herself up.

"You let Katherine go?" Caroline asked, shocked.

"We'll need her later. " Elena said. "You'll see."

As she started to stand, everyone seemed to dart forward at once.

"I'm fine." She groaned, swatting them away. "I'd like to go sleep somewhere other than this couch."

Elena inched forward before she staggered a bit to the side. Alaric caught her and she nodded at him as he set her back on her feet.

"Have you heard from Bobby yet?" Elena asked, turning to face Sam and Dean.

They both shook their heads.

"Wake me when you do." She said. "You're not allowed to leave me out of this one."

They nodded, looking as though they took her seriously. Caroline and Bonnie rushed forward, doing their duties as best friends as they helped her upstairs. They took her into the bathroom and helped her out of her clothes, washing the dirt and blood off of her. Elena felt better even being in clean clothes as she laid down. With a hiss of pain, she rolled off of her injured shoulder.

"Elena? Do you want my blood?" Caroline asked, looking concerned.

She shook her head.

"Dean and Sam are stretched thin enough with leaving Damon alive. I'm not going to explain drinking blood to them." she mumbled sleepily.

She didn't catch Caroline's response, drifting into sleep once more with a sigh.

* * *

As soon as Elena's eyes popped open, she sensed another presence in the room. She gasped, sitting up and looking at where Castiel stood staring out of her window.

"Some people might call this creepy." She said, her voice rough with sleep and pain.

She tried to ignore the throbbing in her shoulder as he turned to her.

"I was not able to come to you sooner." Castiel said, sitting on the bed next to her.

"It's all right. Angelic business and all that. How's the fight against Lilith going?"

He gave her a look that explained it all.

"It is very important that you prevent this seal from breaking."

Elena nodded, swallowing hard.

"We're trying. I know what's going to happen and we'll figure out a way to stop it." she said.

"I have faith that you will." Castiel agreed. "You will need to be in a better state, though."

Elena frowned, glancing at her arm that was still in the sling.

"I still haven't been able to heal by myself." She said.

Castiel didn't look bothered, reaching out to take her hand.

"Close your eyes and breathe." He instructed.

Elena did as he said, concentrating. She felt him giving her strength and power that flowed through her body. The warmth built up and she knew that it was healing her. Elena continued to breathe deeply as she healed herself with his help. Finally, she pulled away from him with a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." she breathed.

His hand slid out of hers as her eyes opened. Elena took off the sling slowly, still feeling a bit of soreness in her shoulder. She looked at him hesitantly, wondering how to ask him what she wanted to know.

"Castiel, I…"

She was cut off by a knock on the door. She glanced at it and when she heard the sound of fluttering wings, she looked back to see that he was gone.

"Elena? I heard you… what the hell?" Caroline said with shock seeing that she was no longer bruised and cut.

She flipped on the lights and Elena blinked against the brightness.

"A little warning next time." she grumbled, throwing off the covers.

"Did you do this?" Caroline whispered as she stretched out.

"Nope." Elena lied. "Castiel did."

"The angel?" Caroline questioned, following her out as she moved to walk downstairs.

"Yeah." She nodded, energy suddenly filling her. "I'm starving."

The others trickled in as Elena dug through the fridge. Dean and Sam were the only ones who didn't look shocked.

"What the hell?" Damon said. "Did you give her blood, vampire Barbie?"

Caroline glared at him as the brothers looked disgusted.

"Vampire blood can heal humans." Elena informed them as she pulled out a container of yogurt and grabbed a clean spoon from the dishwasher. "But no, that's not what happened."

She hopped onto the cabinet and began eating it.

"Then what did?" Alaric asked.

"Angels. Well actually one angel, Castiel. He thinks I'm important and he wants this whole Esther thing stopped so he healed me up to let me be of more help than I would have been beat up."

"You're all right?" Dean asked with concern, walking forward.

"How about you give her a little space." Damon said, stopping him.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him but before she could say anything, Dean shoved him away without fear of his vampire status. It wasn't like him to give into Damon's bullying.

"How about you back the fuck away from me." Dean snapped, glaring at him. "I'm shoving aside my urge to kill you for Elena's sake but my patience only extends so far."

"Oh really? You think you can touch me before I'll have your neck snapped?" Damon demanded.

Elena leapt off of the counter, advancing on them.

"Stop it!" she demanded as everyone else stood back with surprised and conflicted expressions.

She put herself between them, a hand on each of their chests.

"How about you take responsibility for how much you've put Elena in danger since she left Mystic Falls, huh?" Damon said, glaring at Dean. "How often have you exposed her to things that can kill her?"

"I'll take responsibility for one thing and that's for letting her do what she wants." Dean growled, his eyes filled with fury. "It's because of me and my brother that she was able to fight her way out tonight. We enabled her to protect herself while you always expected her to hide behind you to save her life. Elena didn't need any of us tonight and I don't think you liked that. You love being her hero so much that it drives you crazy that she can take care of herself."

"Oh yeah you're so damn good. You're such a gentleman. How about realizing that…"

"Hey!" Elena shouted, interrupting Damon.

They both stopped, staring at her with wide eyes.

"You are both fucking idiots!" she said, glaring between them.

She turned to Dean first, giving him a look that told him to remain quiet.

"Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed off at you if you killed Damon. In fact, I don't think I could ever look at you the same ever again." Elena said before turning her gaze on Damon. "Dean is right. I can protect myself. I have proven that time and time again. I am getting all of you out of a big mess. In case you've forgotten, you will be killed if this goes wrong, not just the Originals. Every damn vampire. I think you should be on your knees begging for me to save your life but I'm not going to make you do that because I'm not a bad person. If you continue to question my ability to make decisions for myself, you're going to find that you see less and less of me throughout my remaining lifetime."

They both looked thoroughly scolded, glancing at the ground. She gave them one last glare before turning to Sam.

"Has Bobby called?" she asked.

He nodded.

"He gave us the instructions for the ritual." Sam confirmed. "It has to be in a cemetery."

She nodded.

"We do it tonight." Elena said, not leaving any room for argument. "You can arrange that with the Originals."

She moved away to walk back upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

Elena turned, giving him an impatient glare.

"Out."

"Do you really think that's safe?" Damon asked.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him and he faltered, nodding as he realized that he questioned her once more.

"If you need me, Jeremy knows where I'm going."

With that, Elena turned on her heel and walked upstairs to change.

* * *

She walked up slowly, kneeling between the two headstones.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad." Elena whispered, sighing sadly. "I'm sort of talking to the parents I knew before the whole witnesses thing. I know that wasn't your fault. Lilith manipulated you or whatever."

She reached out, touching the stones.

"I miss you a lot. I miss you every day. I wish I could tell you everything face to face but I have to do it this way."

Elena looked at her father's headstone, smiling at it.

"I think you'd be proud of me. I'm hunting, just like you used to do. We save a lot of people, me and the brothers. A lot of them don't even know it but it doesn't matter. We're trying to save even more, too. I'm not sure you'd approve of saving the entire vampire race but it's something that has to be done. A lot more people will die if we don't."

Her eyes flickered to her mother's stone.

"You would like Dean and Sam. They're amazing. As much as they want me to be able to protect myself, they protect me too. They take care of me and I take care of them. They're my family even though I've only known them for a few months. I feel like I'm somewhere I belong for the first time since you died. I think you'd like Bobby too. He's grumpy but when you get past that, he's amazing."

A tear slid down her face, taking her by surprise. She let out a soft sob, bending her head over the graves.

"I'm lying to them both." Elena admitted, her shoulders shaking. "They trust me and they don't even know…"

She shook her head, attempting to take a deep breath.

"I am not even human, I think. They don't know. They think I'm normal and…"

Elena was cut off by the sound of wings fluttering.

"What do you want, Cas?" she said miserably, not even looking up.

"You were praying for me, though you may not have realized it." Castiel said, starting forward.

Elena took a shuddering breath before her emotions broke again.

"I can't do this anymore, Cas!" she said, drawing her knees to her chest as tears slid down her face.

"I'm afraid that I don't understand." Castiel admitted.

Elena turned her head, staring at him with shining eyes.

"I can't continue to keep this to myself! You can't keep asking me to lie to Sam and Dean! It's unfair to me and it's unfair to them! I have to tell them!" she said, all of the sudden getting angry at him as she glared up at him with tears still flowing from her dark eyes.

"They will not understand, Elena. They do not yet know of their importance in the events to come." Castiel said, kneeling next to her.

She stared at him.

"I don't care." Elena said petulantly.

He hesitated, wondering how to handle this situation.

"Is there anything else you can ask of me, Elena? I have already told you that I answer to someone, more than one angel, all of whom are higher than me." Cas said, looking a little bit frustrated beyond his emotionless exterior.

"Well you know what? I don't give a damn who your higher ups are! I am not going to take this anymore! This is my life and the people that I care about! You don't get to fuck with me and my family no matter what 'the events to come' are! Go ahead and try to stop me, Cas! Because I am not keeping my mouth shut anymore as long as this shit threatens to ruin the two most important relationships in my life. My relationship with Dean and my relationship with Sam." She snapped, pushing herself up to her feet before stomping off.

"Are you sure you want to tell this all to the Winchesters?" Castiel asked. "Before you even understand what is happening?"

Elena turned slowly, staring at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You've seen them at work. They are suspicious of anything inhuman, especially Dean. What makes you think that they will not deem you too dangerous to be around?"

Elena stared at him with horror.

"Why are you saying this?"

"Because it is a reality of the situation. Dean and Sam need to be eased into this. They will be more receptive to it if it is slowly revealed to them." Castiel explained.

"They'll be more receptive when I stop lying to them." Elena said.

"Listen to me." The angel said, moving forward. "You need to have the trust of the Winchesters. You must remain with them. If there is even a chance of them forcing you away because of the abilities you possess, we will do our upmost to ensure that they remain in the dark for as long as it takes."

"You'll stop me?" Elena asked.

"We cannot do such a thing but we can erase their memories of any mention of your abilities."

Elena stared at him in shock, her eyes widening.

"Why can't you just let me decide?" she asked.

Castiel looked torn, glancing up at the sky. Elena knew that it couldn't all be him. Someone had to be telling him to tell her to keep it to herself.

"Please, just wait." He said.

Elena stared at him for a moment, finally jerking her head in a small nod.

"I will judge when the right moment is and I will tell them." she said.

Castiel looked like he wanted to argue but he thought better of it. Holding out his hand, she saw a glass vial filled with blood.

"You'll need this for the ritual. This will be much more difficult than any of you are imagining it to be. Esther Mikaelson's soul has been in hell for one thousand years. She will be very twisted and evil. Almost on the same level as Lilith. And she will have protection." Cas warned her.

Elena looked at the blood with a nod, barely glancing up when she heard him disappear. She glanced back at her parents' graves, shaking her head sadly as she moved away from them.

* * *

Elena looked up as everyone began arriving. When she saw someone shocking, she moved forward slowly. Stefan looked guarded but he walked towards her.

"I hear that I have you to thank for my sudden rehabilitation." He said.

Elena shrugged, not wanting to take the credit.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Less murderous. I think that Klaus added something different into the compulsion this time. I should still be devouring anything with a pulse but I'm just fine."

Elena glanced behind him to see Klaus standing with Elijah, Rebekah, and two other men that she assumed to be the other siblings.

"We'll talk later." She murmured, knowing they had important things to do at the moment.

After everything was gathered in the grounds of the cemetery, including the creepy looking coffin that was sealed closed without any sign of opening, all of the vampires perked up and looked around.

"She's summoned a protection detail." Klaus growled.

"How the hell did she do that?" Stefan said, alarmed as they all looked towards the gates.

"Who is it?" Elena asked, feeling a bit lost.

"Werewolves." All of the vampires said with equally disgusted looks.

Elena's eyes slid over to Elijah and he understood what she was doing as soon as their eyes met. It was time for his specialty to be put into action.

"We'll go with you, brother." Rebekah said, pulling Kol and Finn to the gates of the cemetery along with Elijah.

They watched as the four Original siblings stood there standing still and prepared. When the first few werewolves drifted out of the shadows, Elena quickly noticed their eyes that were shining in the dim light of a new moon.

"They're possessed by demons." She murmured to Dean and Sam, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Of course, possessing werewolves would make them even stronger. They came to stop us from stopping the seal being broken." Sam sighed, shaking his head as his hand flicked to the demon-killing knife.

Elena laid her hand on his and shook her head as a choking sound filled the air followed by a thump.

"They've got this." she said, turning to look at the four Originals.

Elijah was standing there with his jacket discarded long ago and his shirt sleeves rolled up. Not a hair was out of place as he dropped the first werewolf/demon heart and his entire hand was covered in blood.

"It's starting." Elena said, pulling Sam and Dean backwards towards the coffin, where Klaus' witch was ready to recite the powerful Latin words.

Once they began actually enacting the ritual, with each of the Original siblings' blood as well as Mikael's poured over the top of the coffin and Castiel's blood poured in a circle directly in front of it, the werewolves were taken care of and the Original siblings retreated back into the cemetary.

"We retrieved the demon blood you needed." Rebekah said, handing the bowl to the witch.

The woman immediately handed it off to Sam, who knew what to do with is. As everyone worked around them, Elena, Dean, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric were all stuck back with nothing to do. This, of course, did not sit well with Dean. He wanted to fight.

"Do you want me to punch you in the face so you'll stop complaining?" Damon growled.

Even Damon, Caroline, and Stefan were given the responsibility of protecting the mortals from any threat that might come near them.

"Stop it." Elena immediately berated, not allowing Damon and Dean to get in yet another fight.

She watched as Sam overlapped Castiel's blood with the demon blood. It sizzled and formed a black scorch-marked circle around the coffin.

"Get ready. She's about to be summoned into her body." Sam warned as he backed away from the coffin.

Everyone shifted into a defensive stance. Elena felt the overwhelming urge to put herself in front of the brothers but she knew that they would never let her. Sam and Dean needed to be protected and she was the one that needed to do it. Before she could even shift forward to put herself in front of them, Dean figured out what was going through her head.

"Don't you even dare. Not this time." he warned her, narrowing his eyes at her.

She glared back at him and felt the overwhelming urge to punch him and then take her rightful place in front of him to fight against anything that tried to hurt either Winchester brother. For some reason, an idea echoed in her mind. It wasn't just her duty to protect them from other beings that wanted to kill them; it was up to her to protect them from themselves. Elena bit her lip hard and kept herself rooted in place despite the fact that her entire body was screaming at her to move.

All of the sudden, the ground began rumbling and they all stumbled as an earthquake shook the area around them. It ended as quickly as it began and a heavy wind suddenly picked up and blew through the cemetary as the witch shouted out the words. They heard a faint creaking noise and their attention was turned back to the coffin that was slowly creaking open. Then, suddenly, it flew open and a bright, blinding light filled the air. They all covered their eyes as it hurt to look at. As it slowly faded away, they all looked to see that the coffin was gone and a woman in a course, very old dress was standing in its place. Her long blond hair was pulled halfway away from her her stern face.

Her striking blue eyes that matched Klaus' so closely stared around at all of them with a distinct disgust in them. She stepped forward but stopped at the line that was made up of angel and demon blood. Her eyes flickered down and back up.

"Clever." She said in a smooth voice, her eyes immediately going to Klaus. "It looks like you chose the right group of people to protect you from obliteration, my son."

"Hello, Mother." He said, glaring back at her.

"I am not your mother, Niklaus. You stopped being my children the moment you all turned into the abominations I see before me today. I created a disgusting, unnatural race and I am here to set nature right. I will destroy all vampires and everything will be balanced." she said in a cool voice, staring at all of them individually.

When her eyes fell on Elena standing just behind Sam and Dean, her face barely showing between their large bodies.

"Ah, the young doppelganger." She said in a breathy voice, almost sounding reverent.

Elena found her worshipping tone a little strange. A small smile formed on Esther's face.

"You will send one brother to the devil and another to the archangel. You will bring about the apocalypse and the world will crash and burn around these pathetic mortals who have no idea what is going on around them. Never has a female been so underestimated by everyone since the creation of Eve. Much like your ancestor, you will bring about the fall of man. In your presence, one brother will kill another in a field. The snake will bite the heel of man and death will rule this pathetic planet. The guardian will fail." Esther said, staring straight at Elena as she spoke.

Elena felt a cold chill run through her entire body at the witch's words. It sounded so dangerously like a prophecy and she couldn't help but commit the damning words to memory.

"Enough of that, Esther." Klaus growled starting forward with his fists clenched.

Suddenly he was on the ground with a pained expression. They watched with horror as blood began to leak out of his ears, nose, and eyes.

"Do not underestimate me, Niklaus. I am far more powerful than you and I can obliterate you right here and now." Esther said in a deadpan voice.

"Stop!" Rebekah cried as Klaus gritted his teeth and let out a guttural shout of pain.

Esther looked up at her and Klaus collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily as the pain stopped.

"Rebekah. Do you really imagine that I will have any mercy for any of you? Once I get out of this circle, your deaths will be slow and painful. You will suffer for what will seem like thousands of years yet it will all happen in a matter of minutes. Every vampire will be dead before the sun rises." she threatened.

As if to prove her point, Esther spread her arms out and every vampire there, including Caroline, Damon, and Stefan, collapsed to the ground screaming as they exhibited the same signs as Klaus. It got worse as they began vomiting up blood as well. Sam and Dean stood stubbornly in front of Elena as they watched with panicked expressions. This was not supposed to happen. The witch began to yammer out a spell to counteract what Esther was doing but the older and more experienced witch turned to her. It took about two seconds of Esther staring at her for the other witch to explode in a bloody mess.

Sam was thrown back in the explosion, hitting a gravestone and falling unconscious. Elena and Dean both itched to run to him but they were blocked by more werewolf demons.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean muttered underneath his breath.

Elena couldn't just stand there. It wouldn't be long before Esther turned her attention on Dean. Her arm shot out suddenly and her hand fisted into the back of the his jacket. Elena wrenched him backwards and he flew past her as she walked forward. Fury burned in her as she heard the painful cries of the vampires around her. Not even keeping in mind her own safety, Elena strode forward casually and into the circle with Esther. The witch's eyes followed her in amusement but her smirk quickly disappeared when Elena's hand wrapped around her throat.

"Stop what you are doing, now." She growled, squeezing it tightly.

Esther's arms went to Elena's wrist, attempting to pull it away. Luckily this motion distracted her and Elena heard the screaming stop. All of the vampires must have fallen unconscious from the pain because she didn't hear any of them say anything.

"You are already so strong. So much stronger than any of the others ever before. Do you know why the angels couldn't stop you from telling Sam and Dean? Because they are afraid of you. You have power that they've never seen before." Esther choked out, her sharp nails scratching at Elena's hand and arm, cutting into her and causing blood to drip off of her arm.

"Do you really think that I am going to believe a word you say? You will not win this fight Esther, be it with words or with your powers." Elena growled through gritted teeth, watching with satisfaction as Esther's face turned red with lack of air.

Suddenly and unnervingly, the Original witch's face broke out into a satisfied grin.

"I didn't come here thinking that I was going to win this battle, Elena. I knew that I was going to die. I came to give you a message." She said softly, her strength slowly failing her.

"Was it that pathetic prophecy? Because I don't believe a word of it either." Elena scoffed.

"No, it's from someone in a cage, a very special cage with sixty-six seals. He says hello and that he can't wait to meet you face to face. Lucifer says that you two, and the Winchesters, are going to have so much fun." Esther said with a thrilled grin.

Elena stared at her, unsure of how to react. She heard the flutter of wings and her eyes met Castiel's over the witch's shoulder as he plunged a knife into the witch's heart. Elena stumbled away as Esther screamed. Her body looked as though it was being filled with light. It poured out of her mouth, eyes, and ears as she threw her head back and shouted in pain at the sky. Her body exploded in a shower of light and Elena covered her eyes as it happened. When she opened them again, Castiel was standing over her holding out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to a standing position.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had to kill Esther?" she asked, staring at him.

"Because I was not certain until I was given this blade and told to do so." Cas said, gesturing down to the knife.

Elena stared at it and the longer she did so, the more of a pull she felt to it.

"What is it?" she breathed, almost mesmerized by it.

"It is a very special dagger that can kill many things that do not normally have weaknesses." Cas said, putting the blade into his jacket.

Elena looked up at him with wide eyes, wondering why she felt a sudden stab of anger at the fact that he was keeping the weapon from her.

"All of your friends will be all right though the vampires will have headaches for a few days. As for you, you cannot remain in this town for much longer. There are other people and places which require your attention." Cas warned her.

Elena nodded slowly, almost in shock over everything that had happened so quickly. When Cas disappeared, she turned back to see Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric standing among the unconscious vampires as Dean tried to rouse Sam. Elena hurried over, kneeling beside him as they helped him up.

"I'm fine." he sighed before they could ask.

"Your arm." Dean said, his eyes fall on Eelna.

He lifted it up to look at it. Elena saw that it was covered in deep scrapes and scratches from Esther fighting against her hold. It almost looked as though a wild animal attacked her.

"I'm fine." She sighed, pulling her arm away as she glanced around. "We're all alive."

Dean pulled her into a tight hug that she returned with a sigh of relief.

"You need to stop being so damn brave." He grumbled, squeezing her tightly.

"I know." She murmured, relaxing into his arms and realizing how exhausted she was by the day's events.

"We'll need to talk about what that witch said." Dean said before pulling away.

Elena stared at him warily but didn't say another word. It took a long time but they finally managed to get all the vampires back to the Gilbert house. They were all in various states. Caroline and Stefan were still unconscious. Damon was halfway awake but a bit out of it and even delirious. The Original siblings were recovering much quicker, all sitting on the ground side by side and simply staring straight ahead with storming eyes. It didn't take long for everyone who was conscious and sane to notice that Elena was very close to passing out.

So at the insistence of quite a few people, Elena finally stumbled upstairs and into her bed. Her eyes were closed and her mind was drifting off into a dreamstate before her head even hit the pillow. But Esther's words were echoing in her mind as she fell asleep, sure to haunt her dreams with horrific images.

* * *

**Please review and try to be gentle with me. I recognize that this chapter is horrible and I apologize for it.**

**IF YOU DIDN'T READ NUMBER ONE AT THE TOP, GO READ IT NOW**

**Next Chapter: Elena celebrates with everyone that they managed to stop Esther from destroying the vampires. When a few of the people from Mystic Falls question her, she tells them the truth about the apocalypse. When they take their leave of the town, Elena, Dean, and Sam run into major demon trouble.**


	12. Heads Are Going to Roll

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to beverlie4055, Dark Alana, RHatch89, Ojha, Dean Winchester Rocks, regrets-collect93, xxPaige23xx, DeanElenafan, Cold North, JMHUW, TheElegantFaerie, blahblahblah93, MaddAlice, animagirl and the guest for reviewing!**

**To TheElegantFaerie, yes there will be other pairings. I haven't officially decided about them but I'm still thinking. And your question about the sacrifice will be answered in this chapter.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Hunting for Witches – Bloc Party**

* * *

**A few things:**

**1. IMPORTANT: I've changed the timeline because I wasn't thinking and that's going to be very important. These chapters take place towards the middle of October. It's important for the next chapter, I promise. Sorry for my lapse in thought. I've been a bit scattered.**

**2. You can still send in things that you would like to see in the story, if you like. I'm always looking for new ideas.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. This chapter is shorter than the others but I'm coming out with the next one really soon.**

**5. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

_Elena let out a half cry, half gasp as she sat up in her bed. It was completely dark in the room and she looked around with bleary eyes. The moon was full and shining through the window and that should have been her first clue that this wasn't real because the moon wasn't full when she went to sleep. Elena slid out of her bed slowly, pulling on her jacket that was lying on the ground. She spotted the weapon that Castiel used on Esther and grabbed it automatically, not even thinking about it before she picked it up and gripped it tightly. She slowly descended the stairs, calling out for everyone. No one was answering her._

_When she walked outside, her mouth dropped open and she stared around with a shocked look. The neighborhood around her was destroyed. Houses were crumbled to pieces and the road had a jagged crack going through it, pulling the two sides of it apart to reveal a pitch black hole that ran the length of the street. She walked down the sidewalk looking for anything to give her a hint as to what was happening._

"_Elena." a voice said behind her._

_She turned to see Caroline and Alaric standing there. They both looked tired and had scars that she'd never seen before all over their faces, arms, and everywhere else._

"_What is going on?" she asked, starting forward as her eyes widened._

_They both stared at her as if she was insane._

"_The apocalypse." They both said in deadpan voices._

"_What?" Elena said, stopping short as she looked around._

"_You failed, Elena. The guardian failed." Caroline said and Elena could faintly hear Esther's voice behind Caroline's saying the exact same thing._

_Suddenly they were in another place. Elena whirled around as she recognized it as the cemetery._

"_The apocalypse wasn't stopped. It happened. Everyone died." Alaric said, looking down at the gravestones._

_Elena's hands flew to her mouth and she gazed at the gravestones. Bonnie Bennett. Matthew Donovan. Tyler Lockwood. Rebekah, Kol, Finn, Elijah, and Niklaus Mikaelson. Jeremy Gilbert._

_"How?" she whimpered._

"_You failed." Caroline repeated._

_Elena looked at them with a questioning gaze and they gestured to two other gravestones._

"_You failed to keep them safe. They died and the apocalypse happened because they weren't around to stop it." Alaric said._

_She stumbled forward and let out a tragic cry as she read the names. Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester._

"_No!" she cried, collapsing on her knees before their graves._

_There was silence for a moment before she heard a shuffling noise and two screams filled the cemetery. She turned to look and saw that Caroline and Alaric seemed to be burning from the inside out. Elena jumped up and stared on in horror as they bursted into flames and fell to the ground, screaming until they finally died. When she looked up, she saw a well-dressed man standing at the entrance to the graveyard. He was wearing a business suit and his hair was a light blonde. A smirk appeared on his face and he waved tauntingly at her._

"_Hello, Elena. I'm Lucifer." He introduced himself._

_Elena opened her mouth and screamed loudly._

* * *

Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp. Hands were enclosed around her arms and she fought them for a moment before a voice broke through her panic.

"Elena, it's me."

She relaxed, looking up into Dean's wide eyes. Elena took a deep breath, drawing away from him as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm fine." She said hoarsely, knowing that the question was going to come eventually.

"What was that about?" Dean asked, sitting next to her.

She leaned back against the headboard, closing her eyes as she attempted to block the images from the nightmare.

"Snakes. I hate snakes." Elena said simply.

"Seriously. I know how bad nightmares can get and that seemed like a bad one. Did it have anything to do with what that witch said?" Dean questioned.

She looked over at him, knowing why he was asking her. For one moment, she wanted to tell him everything. But then she remembered the look he got in his eyes. Even with Caroline, who was as human as any vampire got, he would glance at her with a sort of glint in his eyes like the trained hunter inside of him was itching to do what he was meant to. It was even worse when it came to Damon and the Originals. She was certain that Dean would be the same way with Stefan. It was easy to forget that her friends were also the monsters he'd been taught to kill and that she herself might be something he was supposed to put down for the safety of others.

"I'm really okay." Elena said, moving to slide out of the bed.

Dean watched as she walked into the bathroom, concern and wariness filling him.

* * *

Elena washed off carefully, avoiding the deep scratch marks on her arms as much as she could. When she climbed out, she headed into the bedroom to see Caroline and Bonnie sitting on her bed with matching smiles.

"What's going on?" she asked warily.

"We're celebrating." Bonnie said, standing up.

"Everyone survived last night which almost never happens and we stopped that evil witch from committing vampire genocide. I, for one, am pretty thrilled about that." Caroline said happily.

Elena smiled slightly, walking to her bag to pull out clothing.

"What's on the agenda?" she asked.

"Well the Mikaelsons have so generously offered their home as our place to celebrate. We've been promised that the teeth will remained stowed away. We're also celebrating Stefan's return to normalcy." Bonnie said.

Elena nodded, turning to walk into the bathroom.

"I'll be right out."

When she got in there, she dressed slowly. As she pulled on her sweater, Elena winced at the pain in her arms once again. With a sigh, she glared down at the wounds.

"Just fucking go away." She growled, concentrating without really thinking about it.

Warmth suddenly filled her body and Elena watched with wide eyes as the wounds knitted together and disappeared. She quickly yanked her sweater on before walking out of the bathroom. Caroline and Bonnie looked at her with concern at the look on her face.

"Is everything all right?" Bonnie asked.

She looked up at them, swallowing hard before nodding.

"Just, if anyone asks…" Elena hesitated before continuing. "Caroline, you gave me your blood."

They both looked at her with wide eyes.

"Did you heal yourself?" Caroline hissed.

Elena nodded, gesturing for them to quiet down.

"I didn't really mean to. It just sort of happened. You can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Bonnie asked.

She looked at them with a hint of guilt in her face.

"Strictly speaking, Sam and Dean don't know that I can do any of this."

Their eyes both widened and before they could react, she shushed them again.

"They're hunters. Until I know what the hell I am, they can't know any of this. I need to be able to explain this to them fully so that they understand I'm not a threat."

"How is healing a threat?" Bonnie questioned.

"Trust me, anything different isn't good in their line of work." Elena said, thinking of Sam.

Even though he was exorcising demons, whatever he was doing seemed to be a bad thing worthy of fear. The same might go for her ability to heal. Caroline and Bonnie both looked wary of keeping this quiet but they eventually agreed, knowing that it was Elena's choice in the end.

* * *

Dean whistled as they pulled up to the house, his eyebrows raising.

"They live in style." Sam said, climbing out of the Impala.

"They've lived for a thousand years." Elena said. "They've had time to make some money."

They walked up to the door only for it to be pulled open. Elena recognized their greeter as one of the brothers she hadn't met. His short hair was spiked messily and he had an easy grin on his face.

"We hadn't had a chance to meet." He said, reaching out to take her hand.

Elena watched with a raised eyebrow as he bent low and kissed her hand.

"I'm Kol." He said, looking up at her through his lashes before straightening up.

"I'm not impressed." Elena said, causing Dean and Sam to laugh.

He didn't look put off, quite the opposite. A grin formed on his face but he was prevented from saying anything else.

"Leave her be, Kol." Elijah said, standing at the door.

Elena walked past him, smiling at the one Original she could get along with. He nodded at her.

"Thank you for what you've done for my family." He said. "We are all in your debt."

Elena leaned in, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She glanced back at Dean and Sam and they nodded, following her into the living room. Fifteen minutes later, they were all gathered around each other drinking and talking and the only ones missing were the Salvatore brothers. Elena was standing with Jeremy and Sam, watching as the hunter amused her brother with stories of what they'd hunted. Dean was speaking with Alaric. When Klaus approached them, Elena stared at him warily.

"Excuse my rudeness…" he said to Sam and Jeremy before looking at Elena. "May we speak to you alone, lovely?"

He gestured to Elijah and she hesitated before nodding. Elena walked out of the room with them and into the study. Elena and Elijah sat on the couch as Klaus sat in a chair.

"We just have a few questions." Elijah said in a reassuring tone.

Elena nodded, having expected it.

"How did you know about Esther before you came into town?" Klaus asked, diving right in.

"I didn't… exactly." Elena answered. "I knew that something was going to happen. That's why we came back. We were warned by Castiel that something big was going to happen here. Something to do with the apocalypse."

They both looked at her with surprised expressions.

"Apocalypse?" Elijah said.

She nodded.

"There is a cage deep in the depths of hell that holds Lucifer. It has sixty-six locks on it and a powerful demon is trying to break them all to raise him. The angels recruited Dean, Sam, and I to fight the seals from being broken. That's why I was led out of Mystic Falls and that's why I haven't returned and why I won't be staying. We're part of a big fight right now."

"How do you know when it's a seal?" Klaus asked.

"We're usually warned by the angels. The problem is, there are hundreds of possible seals. We're fighting on the underdog side of this and we need all the help we can get. I'm not sure if any other hunters even know what the hell is going on." Elena sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"It doesn't matter, you have us." Elijah said.

She looked up at them with surprise.

"What?" Elena said.

"We quite like this earth the way it is. I don't want a vengeful fallen angel messing all of it up." Klaus said.

"What do you need us to do?" Elijah asked.

Elena stared between them with wide eyes, hardly able to believe that this was happening.

"Be on call." She finally said. "If we need you…"

"That should be simple enough." Klaus nodded.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Elena warned. "Lilith, the demon who's doing all of this, she's older than any of you and she's powerful. She won't hesitate to kill you and I'm sure she'll know how. I'm almost certain that she must have met your mother in hell."

They both nodded solemnly.

"Until we need your help out there, protect Mystic Falls." She said. "I'll feel better knowing that they're all okay."

"When do you go back to saving the world?" Klaus questioned.

"Soon." Elena answered as they all stood up.

They walked out and she immediately saw that the Salvatores had arrived. Elena automatically glanced at Dean as she remembered that this was the first time that she'd been in the room with her ex minus the ritual with Esther. When Damon muttered something to him, Stefan's eyes flickered from Elena to Sam to Dean. He shrugged his brother off, walking straight to Dean. Elena tensed up, watching as he held his hand out to the hunter.

"Thank you for helping us." He said, sounding geniune.

Dean stared at him before reaching out to shake his hand as well.

"It's no problem." He said, glancing at Elena before looking back at Stefan.

Stefan looked over at her, nodding at Dean before walking over. After giving Sam the same greeting, he turned to her.

"Can we talk?"

Elena found herself nodding and they were walking out to the backyard before she knew it. Stefan leaned against a pillar as she hovered nervously a few feet away from him.

"I'm sorry for what happened in Chicago." He said miserably.

"Don't be." Elena said, shaking her head. "It wasn't you. I know that and I don't hold it against you."

"You should hold it against me." he argued. "I almost got you killed."

"You've also saved my life countless times. I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you and that far outweighs anything that happened in Chicago." She responded.

Stefan looked at her for a moment as if he was searching for what to say.

"You're not going to stay in Mystic Falls." He guessed.

Elena hesitated, glancing back at the door before turning back to him. She shook her head.

"You like being out there? Risking your life?"

She sighed, setting her glass of wine on the banister of the porch.

"I'm saving other people, Stefan. Is it so hard for you to see the comfort in that?"

He nodded, glancing away from her to look out at the backyard.

"And it has nothing to do with the hunters? Those brothers?"

Elena knew what he was getting at and she stepped towards him.

"Damon is angry and you know how he reacts when he gets that way. I won't lie to you Stefan and say that there's not something there but it's not why. At least not completely." Elena said, not wanting to tell him a lie.

Stefan nodded, glancing away from her.

"I'm sorry, Stefan." She said, stepping towards him. "But if you can tell me that you love me… truly love me…"

Elena trailed off as he looked back at her.

"I will always love you." he sighed.

She gave him a sad look.

"Are you in love with me?"

Stefan hesitated, considering the question. When he remained silent but something changed in his eyes.

"I love you too, Stefan. But I feel the same way. We were epic but that doesn't always mean forever." Elena said, moving forward.

He caught her in a hug just as she wrapped her arms around his neck hesitantly. They remained like that for a few moments before pulling away. When they heard a crash, Elena and Stefan both turned with wide eyes. They exchanged a look before hurrying inside. She was shocked to see Jeremy facing down Damon with a furious look. Dean had his hand on Jeremy's shoulder and he was trying to pull him away despite his own angry expression.

"What's going on?" Elena demanded, hurrying forward.

"What do you think?" Caroline said, glaring at Damon as well.

She looked at the blue-eyed vampire.

"What did you do?" she questioned.

His eyes flickered to hers.

"Leave it, Elena." Bonnie said softly, trying to get her attention away from him.

"No I want to know." She said, shrugging her off.

"He heard you and his brother talking." Dean said through gritted teeth. "That's when he started accusing me of all kinds of crazy shit."

Elena frowned around at him. She knew that Damon assuming they were together wouldn't bring this level of fury out of her brother.

"He called you a whore." Jeremy spat, looking like he wanted to separate Damon's head from his body.

Elena absorbed the information before rounding Damon. Her hand shot out and she punched him.

"Go fuck yourself, Damon Salvatore." She growled, pushing past him.

He caught her arm and whirled her around.

"You kissed me, remember? Or did you conveniently forget about that when you left Mystic Falls without telling me?"

Elena ripped her arm out of his grasp, her eyes flashing furiously.

"I was grieving!" she hissed. "I just lost two family members and you were dying so I was convinced I was about to lose someone else that I cared about. I don't owe you a damn thing so stop expecting anything of me. There's a reason that I didn't tell you I was leaving Mystic Falls and this is why. You think that you have a measure of control over my life that doesn't exist. Let go of that dream, asshole. I'm not yours to possess and I never will be."

Elena pushed away from him and her eyes flickered across her family and friends before falling on Sam and Dean.

"I'm ready to leave."

* * *

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Caroline said sadly as they stood beside the Impala.

It was later on that evening and they were preparing to leave. Dean and Sam were loading things up as she said goodbye.

"You know why I have to, Care." Elena said, pulling her into a hug. "I promise we'll see each other soon."

"Take care of yourself." The blonde said, pulling away. "And take care of those boys too."

Elena smiled at her before moving to embrace Bonnie.

"Call us if you need anything." She murmured.

"Of course." She said, pulling away to smile at her.

Jeremy squeezed her tightly, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry about earlier." He said.

"It wasn't your fault, Jer." Elena said, shaking her head. "I'll see you soon, okay? We just have to go take care of some stuff."

He nodded, pulling away.

"Go save people." Jeremy said, smiling slightly.

She smiled back, turning to hug Alaric, Tyler, Matt, and Stefan.

"See you later." Stefan said, pulling away. "I'm sorry about Damon."

Elena smiled at him.

"One day, you'll stop apologizing for your brother." she said, stepping away from him.

"I'll do that when he stops needing to be apologized for." Stefan countered.

"Like that's going to happen." She scoffed.

Stefan smiled and she grinned back before turning to the Impala, climbing into the backseat. They pulled out of town and Elena almost felt no sadness leaving. She almost felt that she would see them all very soon. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. When she saw the brothers glancing at her with concern, she shook her head.

"I'm fine. I just would like a nice case to get my mind off of it all."

They exchanged looks and Sam nodded.

"I'll call Bobby." He said, pulling out his phone.

* * *

Elena stretched out as she climbed out of the car at the gas station in the small town in Indiana.

"I'm going for bathroom and snacks. Do you want anything?" she asked, grabbing her wallet that had her own illegal yet very helpful fake credit cards in it.

"Pie!" Dean said pleadingly, inserting the gas pump into the Impala.

"Of course." She said rolling her eyes. "Sam?"

"Just some water please." He requested.

"Got it." she nodded, heading inside.

After going to the bathroom, she walked into the store area and began looking around for food and drinks. When she gathered all of the food, she walked to the counter and set it all down. There wasn't a cashier there so she looked around curiously. After waiting for about a minute, Elena looked around for a bell to ring. She leaned forward, peeking around the cash register. That's when she caught sight of the bloodstain. She froze and turned her head to look out the door. She couldn't see Dean but Sam was slumped over in the passenger seat of the car, his head resting on the dashboard.

Elena felt her body begin to tremble and she readied herself to run. She didn't get two steps forward before hands seized her and dragged her backwards. She screamed loudly as she was shoved up against the counter. When she looked upon the people before her, she saw that their eyes were fully black. They were possessed by demons.

"Funny thing, when you rip out a demon-possessed werewolf's heart, you only kill the werewolf." The blonde female said, staring at Elena.

"What do you want?" she demanded, readying herself for a fight.

"You." a male said, shrugging.

Elena opened her mouth to speak again but the demon launched out to punch her and everything went black.

* * *

Once they woke up, Sam in the passenger's seat and Dean on the ground, they ran inside to look for Elena. The cashier was dead and Elena was nowhere to be seen.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, slamming his foot into a display of keychains.

"Hey Dean." Sam said, bending down to retrieve something off of the ground.

They both looked at it and saw that it was a hotel room key.

"Well at least these assholes left us a trail." Dean growled, slamming his way out of the gas station.

* * *

When Elena woke up out of the darkness, she stared around the unfamiliar motel room. She tried to move and found that she was tied down to a chair. Blood was running down her face and the rope was digging into her wrists painfully. The three demons from the gas station were spread out through the room and they were all staring at her.

"So this is the guardian? You're a little pathetic looking." The blonde said, playing with a lock of her platinum hair.

"What do you want?" Elena spat, glaring at them.

One of the males flew forward and backhanded her across the face, causing her neck to snap to the side and blood began dripping down her cheek as the ring he was wearing connected with her cheekbone.

"You won't talk unless we ask you something." He growled, leaning down to get in her face as she turned to face him again.

"You mean you have enough brainpower to formulate a question, you dumb fuck?" she snapped, rearing her head back and slamming it into his forehead.

He stumbled backwards as she blinked her eyes to get rid of the stars she was seeing. It wasn't exactly a good idea to do that as she now had a killer headache as well. The demon's face turned red and he started forward again, wrapping his hand around her neck.

"That's enough!" the blonde commanded as Elena began to sputter and black out without the air.

His hand disappeared and Elena gasped, inhaling air sharply.

"You actually don't have to answer many questions, sweetie. Just tell us what the angels are planning and we'll kill you quickly." The female said, walking to kneel in front of her, her hands on Elena's knees.

"Dean and Sam are going to show up and they are going to kick your ass! Every single one of you!" Elena hissed, glaring down at her.

The blonde laughed.

"Oh honey, we wouldn't have taken you if we didn't want the Winchesters to come. We want them to get you back. Why do you think we left a trail for them to follow?"

Elena stared at her, confused.

"Well I can see this isn't going to happen the easy way… so I suppose we'll have to do it the hard way." the blonde said before opening her mouth wide.

Elena screamed as black smoke began to pour out of the blonde female's mouth.

* * *

Once they found the motel, it wasn't hard to find the room number once they gave the owner a couple of twenty-dollar bills. Dean kicked it open without hesitation and they both ran in, guns drawn and ready to blow someone's face off. They immediately spotted Elena unconscious in the middle of the room tied to a chair. A blonde was lying at her feet.

"Get Elena." Sam said, reaching down to check the blonde's pulse.

Dean quickly untied Elena and pushed her hair out of her face as he attempted to wake her up. The dark bruises forming on her cheek and forehead made him see red as he seized her shoulders and shook her lightly. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him for a moment.

"Dean?" she questioned hoarsely.

"Yeah, you okay?" he said, putting his hand on her uninjured cheek softly.

"It was demons. I think they left when they figured out one of them dropped the hotel key. They were already holding this girl hostage and I think that they killed her." Elena said, looking down at the blonde.

Dean looked at Sam, who nodded to indicate that the blonde was dead.

"Come on, let's get you out of here. We'll hunt those demon assholes down another day." Dean said, picking Elena up and cradling her as they walked outside.

When they had her situated in the backseat, Dean stared at her hesitantly.

"Elena, why did they leave you without killing you?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad. But demons aren't usually so nice."

Her eyes popped open and she looked back at him.

"They're scared of the angels. The demons didn't want them to come after them."

He nodded, accepting the excuse.

"You sleep for as long as you want. We're just gonna keep driving to Bobby's, okay?" he asked, not wanting to upset her further.

Elena nodded and shut her eyes once more, spreading her body out on the seat. Dean climbed into the driver's seat and Sam into the passenger's seat.

"I really wish those demons would have been there so we could kill them." He said, his eyes shifting backwards to read the look on Elena's face when he said this.

It shifted slightly but it was almost too quickly for him to see. He began driving and looked over at Sam, who was staring back at Elena with a strange look as well.

"Well let's get going. This car ain't gonna drive itself." Dean said, starting it up and pulling out of the parking lot.

After driving for about thirty minutes, Dean and Sam became more and more certain that the person lying in the backseat was not Elena. First of all, instead of sleeping like she was pretending to do, she had a look of frustration and concentration on her face. When Dean looked over at Sam, the younger Winchester nodded and his eyes shifted over to the side of the road. When the car rumbled to a stop, 'Elena' opened her eyes and looked around.

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"We just gotta check something out." Sam said, opening his door at the same time as Dean.

They both walked to the passenger side of the car and waited patiently for a moment until the door opened. 'Elena' climbed out and looked around with a confused look. When she caught sight of them staring at her, she sighed and slammed the door shut, her eyes flickering to the demon-killing knife in Sam's hand.

"What gave me away, boys?" she asked, her voice totally different as she walked forward with a smirk.

"The way you slept." They both said at the same time.

'Elena' looked confused.

"She curls up when she sleeps." Dean said, glaring at her.

She shrugged, looking as though she was not too bothered by being found out.

"So you're a demon?" Sam questioned.

"Of course I'm a demon. What else would I be?"

"Get out of her, now." Dean growled, his hands curling into fists.

"Make me. Oh that's right, you can't. Little Sammy here has stopped using his powers and that knife will kill your precious Elena if you use it on me. Decisions decisions. What will they decide?" she said tauntingly, leaning up against the car with a grin.

Dean suddenly popped open a flask that had been hidden in his sleeve. He tossed the holy water and the demon within Elena screamed as her faced burned. She dropped to her knees and they took their chance, darting forward. They hauled her up, not wanting to do more damage to the body than they had to. She struggled, her strength almost outmatching their combined weight. When they finally managed to wrestle her into the trunk, she was unable to move anymore on account of the devil's trap drawn on the car.

"I'm going to rip your precious bitch to pieces." The demon growled.

They didn't reply, slamming the trunk closed.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Bobby demanded.

Dean and Sam were standing in the doorway to the room as the older hunter stood in front of the devil's trap. The demon smirked at him, twisting her hands in the ropes that bound her.

"Elena." she said innocently.

Bobby threw holy water on her and she let out a guttural scream, throwing her head back.

"Why are you possessing her?" he said.

"Because her body is very warm and comfortable. Also, she's slowly breaking down. I'll have access to everything before you can lift a hand to stop me."

Bobby held up the book in his hands threateningly.

"I could have exorcised you ten minutes ago. You're still here because we're allowing it." he snapped.

"Why is Lilith after Elena?" Sam asked.

"The same reason everyone is after her. They want a piece of the guardian of the Winchesters."

"The what?" Dean said.

The demon glanced between all of them, her eyes sparkling with amusement as a smile formed on her face.

"Oh but you don't know." She breathed, looking like Christmas came early. "Look at that. This meatsuit has more surprises than I thought. She hasn't told you."

They all exchanged glances.

"Told us what?" Sam asked through gritted teeth.

The demon let out a delighted laugh.

"Little Elena has a lot of secrets. You're not the only ones who died and came back to life, boys. But you already know most of what happened. Klaus killed her and she came back a brand new person with nightmares about a certain hunter."

Sam looked over at Dean questioningly.

"That's how she was led to me." he confirmed. "She saw me in hell when she went to sleep."

"That's not all she saw, is it Dean?" the demon said tauntingly.

He glared at her but she simply smiled back.

"Exorcise the damn thing." Dean said, turning away.

"But don't you want to know what Castiel told her?" the demon said.

He turned back as Sam and Bobby exchanged wary glances.

"What are you talking about?" Dean said.

"Don't listen to it, Dean. They lie and you know it." Bobby warned.

"Oh I'm not lying. Not about this. It's too much fun to see the looks on your faces when you find out your precious, pure Elena isn't so human after all." The demon said, grinning happily. "You should kill her, you know. She'll be the end of all of you."

Dean stared at her as Bobby and Sam looked at him.

* * *

**I know this is shorter than the others but I promise the next chapter is coming very soon. Like within the next few hours. It will be much longer than this one. Also, I know they left Mystic Falls faster but we'll be seeing several TVD characters sooner than you think.**

**Preview: Elena deals with the aftermath of being possessed as Dean questions her about the demon's words. When they are forced to deal with yet another seal and they meet another angel, they put aside their differences to deal with the surprising conflict.**


	13. I'm Wondering What it is I Should Do

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I love you all!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Stuck in the Middle – Stealers Wheel**

**A few things:**

**1. This chapter begins the first big fight between Dean and Elena. It is going to last a few chapters so buckle up kiddos.**

**2. Remember something important: the scene with the demon cut off early. We're not entirely certain of everything that it told Sam, Dean, and Bobby.**

**3. I got all of your suggestions and I look forward to writing them.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena inhaled as she suddenly woke up. Her head was throbbing painfully and her mouth tasted horrible. She sat up slowly with a groan, pressing her hand to her forehead.

"Here." Dean said.

Her eyes opened to see him holding out a glass of water and two white pills. Elena took him, not missing the wary expression on his face. The water tasted old and a bit strange, as if it was sitting in a metal flask.

"That was holy water." She said hoarsely, setting the glass on the bedside table.

"We had to make sure." Dean said, sitting back in his chair.

She sighed, bending over her knees and running her fingers through her dirty hair.

"How long did it possess me?" Elena asked.

"Just a few hours." He answered.

She glanced over at him.

"It didn't do anything to anyone, right? Not while it was in me?"

He shook his head but she still saw something behind his gaze.

"What is it?" Elena questioned.

"Nothing." Dean shook his head.

"Dean, I can't remember a thing. It would be nice to know what happened while a demon was invading my body." Elena said desperately, not liking this feeling at all.

"Elena don't worry about it. Demons lie all the time and I'm sure this one did too." he said.

"What did it say?" she asked.

He sighed and looked up at her.

"The son of a bitch just said some things. You should just focus on healing up."

Elena blanched at his words and when she paled, he stared at her strangely.

"It said that you have some… some things you can do." Dean finally said, watching for her reaction. "The demon said you can heal yourself."

Elena immediately lifted her hand to her head, remembering the cut that was on her forehead from them hitting her. It was gone. Dean followed her movement and he looked shocked for a moment before anger flashed in his eyes.

"It's true, then? I mean, I walked out of the room a second and when I came back, your wounds were gone. I thought maybe Cas showed up and fixed you but…"

Elena shoved the blankets off of her body, standing up and putting her hand to her mouth. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to tell them when it was time. When she could tell them every detail of what was going on, that was when Dean was supposed to find out.

"Elena?"

"The demon was lying, Dean." She said unconvincingly, heading for the bathroom.

"Hey!"

He shot up, grabbing her arm. Elena turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"You're lying. I think that I have a right to know the truth."

She stared at him incredulously before shoving him off with more strength than she should have had.

"Why did you go to hell? Why did you sell your soul?"

Dean stared at her, surprised by the personal questions.

"Exactly." Elena nodded. "I owe you nothing. You deserve nothing from me because you tell me about as much as I tell you. I let your secrets go without question so why can't you afford me the same courtesy?"

"This could be dangerous!" Dean shot back.

"Because it's not normal?" Elena yelled. "Anything that's different from you is dangerous?"

"Yes!"

The door suddenly flew open and Sam ran inside. They both turned with furious expressions and he took a step back.

"You're awake." he sighed.

Elena nodded once, wrapping her arms around her torso.

"Are you okay? I mean Bobby found us a case if we can go but…"

"I'm okay." Elena said.

"You might need to stay home." Dean said in a low voice.

Elena glared at him before snatching up her bag.

"I'm fine."

She headed for the bathroom and Dean sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.

"If we're going out there again, you have to do one thing."

Elena turned back, curiosity outweighing her anger.

* * *

She winced as she pulled her dress over her head, stinging pain still burning her skin.

"How does it feel?" Sam asked from outside the bathroom.

"Like someone took a needle to my skin." She sighed, still relieved that she could no longer be possessed anymore.

She was too proud at the moment to thank Dean for thinking of the anti-possession tattoo that was now staining her skin just over her right shoulder blade. When they were no longer angry with each other, she would do so.

"What is the case?" Elena asked as she straightened her dress and then zipped it up.

Sam and Dean were in other parts of the motel room getting ready to go out as FBI agents as well.

"Not very charming, I can tell you that." Sam said as he fixed his tie in the mirror.

Elena looked at him questioningly as she walked out, pulling her cardigan on.

"Luke Wallace. Guy is married, in his thirties, normal wife and baby. Gets candy for Halloween and is sneaking some of it when he chokes to death on his own blood." Dean said, reciting the case file that they got from Bobby from memory.

"No one knows how?" she said, not looking at him.

"It might have had something to do with the razor blades they found in his mouth, throat, and stomach." Dean commented, running his fingers through his messy hair to try to get it to cooperate.

Elena shuddered with a pained face, her eyes wide as her hand went to her throat.

"I think I might throw up." She mumbled, her face going a bit pale.

Both of the brothers nodded, grimaces forming on their faces as they thought of Luke Wallace's gruesome death.

* * *

"Now how many razor blades did they find?" Sam said, standing in front of the emotional widow as he took notes.

Dean was looking around the room and Elena was leaning against the counter listening to the woman's story.

"Two on the floor, one in his stomach and one was stuck in his throat. He swallowed four of them. How is that even possible?" Mrs. Wallace said, her lip trembling as she spoke.

Elena winced as she thought of it. It was a horrible way to die and it had her wondering why someone could be so cruel. A creaking noise made them all look at Dean, who was inspecting the oven closely.

"The candy was never in the oven." Mrs. Wallace said, partly confused and partly accusing.

Dean glanced up, closing the oven quietly.

"We just have to be thorough, Mrs. Wallace." He assured her.

"Did the police find any razors in the rest of the candy?" Sam asked, pulling her attention away from Dean.

"No, I mean, I don't think so." the widow said, sounding a little dazed.

Elena watched as Dean noticed something on the ground and dropped to one knee to figure it out.

"I just – I can't believe it. You hear urban legends about this stuff, but it actually happens?" Mrs. Wallace mumbled, shaking her head as if she really didn't want to believe it.

"More than you might imagine." The younger Winchester said softly, trying to sound soothing to the emotional woman.

Dean stood with a slightly angry look and held up a small canvas bag behind Mrs. Wallace so that she couldn't see it. Sam caught sight of it but didn't react at all. Dean dropped the bag into his pocket before the woman could see it and Elena looked at him questioningly. He shook his head, indicating that they would talk about it later.

"Mrs. Wallace, did Luke have any enemies?" Sam questioned, his eyes shifting from his pad of paper to her.

"Enemies?" Mrs. Wallace sighed, sounding confused.

"Anyone who might have held a grudge against him?" Sam explained.

"What do you mean?" the woman demanded, sounding a little angry at the question.

"Co-workers? Neighbors? Maybe a woman." Sam asked as if it was the last thing that he wanted to say.

"Are you suggesting an affair?" Mrs. Wallace demanded.

"Is it possible?" he said, his eyes downcast shamefully.

"No! No, Luke would nev…" Mrs. Wallace cut herself off, shaking her head as more tears filled her eyes.

"I'm very sorry. We just have to consider all possibilities." Elena pitched in, walking forward to place a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

The woman turned to face her with a desperate look.

"If someone wanted to kill my husband, don't you think they'd find a better way than a razor in a piece of candy he might eat?" Mrs. Wallace said pitifully, her eyes pleading with Elena to figure out what happened to her husband.

"We'll find out what happened, Mrs. Wallace." She assured her.

The woman nodded and turned away from her.

* * *

After they left the Wallace house, they went their separate ways. Dean went to go investigate about Luke Wallace to see who might have had it out for him. Sam and Elena went back to the hotel to do research on the hex bag that Dean found in the home. Before they did anything, they both changed into more comfortable clothing. They sat on the couch, Elena curled up on one side with a book in her hands and Sam hunched over the coffee table on the other side researching on his computer. After about an hour of reading and writing down whatever they could find on hex bags, Dean came walking in. They looked to see him chowing down on candy. Elena rolled her eyes.

"Really? After that guy choked down all those razor blades?" Sam scoffed at his brother.

"It's Halloween, man." Dean shrugged, walking forward to sit in the chair.

"Yeah, for us every day is Halloween." Sam sighed, rubbing his forehead as Elena nodded in agreement.

""Don't be a downer." Dean said as he leaned over to peek at the research that they'd compiled so far.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"Well, we're on a witch hunt, that's for sure, but this isn't your typical hex bag." Sam said, gesturing to the open hex bag that revealed what was inside.

"Hmm, no?" Dean

Sam reached over and picked up the dried up flower.

"Goldthread, an herb that's been extinct for two hundred years." He explained.

Elena reached over and grabbed the silver piece.

"This is Celtic, and I don't mean some new age knock-off. It looks like the real deal, like six hundred years old real deal." She described, handing it to Dean.

Dean nodded and bent down to pick up the charred piece that was the last part of the hex bag.

"And um… that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby." Sam informed him, expecting a bad reaction out of him.

"Ugh. Gross." Dean said, looking disgusted as he put it back down.

"Relax man, it's like, at least a hundred years old." Sam shrugged, picking it up to inspect it.

"Oh, right, like that makes it better? Witches, man, they're so friggin' skeevy." Dean shuddered.

Elena looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Except for your Bonnie, of course. She's a charmer." He assured her.

"She still creeps you out, doesn't she?" Elena questioned.

"It's the magic thing that creeps me out." he sighed.

"Well it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together. More juice than we've ever dealt with, that's for sure. What about you? Find anything on the victim?" Sam questioned as Dean moved to the bed closest to the couch to get as far away from the metacarpal bone of a child.

"This Luke Wallace? He was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy." Dean scoffed, pulling out another piece of candy.

Sam and Elena both groaned at their lack of information or leads. This case was already not an easy one.

"I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead." Dean said, leaning back as his face screwed up in concentration.

Elena sighed and reached for yet another book to continue researching what it could all mean and Sam did the same.

* * *

After hearing sirens, they got a phone call from Bobby reporting another mysterious death at a high school Halloween party. Elena was temped to make the boys go without her but she wanted to see what was going on so they all put on their business suits once more and headed to the address. When they got to the door, a skeptical police officer looked them up and down with a smirk.

"I'm Agent Bonham. This is Agent Plant. FBI." Dean said, both of the brothers holding out their badges.

"And her?" the officer asked, his eyes flickering over Elena and remaining on her bare legs for far too long and making both brothers squirm with annoyance.

"Anastasia Page. I'm an analyst for the FBI and I am working with these two agents on this case." She said, pulling out her own ID and showing it to him.

"Analyst, huh? Well I think that our own police department can do a mighty fine job of figuring out what happened here. Drunk teenagers and Halloween do not mix very well despite the fact that they love to try it every single year." The officer said, narrowing his eyes with distain at the three of them.

"I have no doubt that the police department is perfectly qualified. You, however, are just a glorified bouncer checking IDs before people walk in the door. So we'll be going inside now to look over the crime scene of our case and you can just keep on weeding out the hot girls from the drunk, nerdy guys." Dean said.

They brushed past him, Elena fixing him with an icy glare.

"Have you been drinking?" the police officer questioned.

"Yes." The blonde girl said, nodding.

Sam started forward to question her but Dean stopped him.

"I got this one." He said.

Sam sighed and shook his head as Elena turned to glare at Dean.

"Two words… jail bait." Sam said.

"I would never…" Dean began to defend himself.

Elena rolled her eyes.

"I'll question her. You look for anything mysterious." She snapped, turning to walk to the girl and the police officer.

Sam and Dean went to the couch and began digging through the cushions to see if they could find another hex bag.

"Please stop fighting with her. It makes things awkward." Sam hissed.

Dean just glared at him.

"It's just so weird. The water in the tub… it wasn't hot, I had just been in there myself." The girl was saying to the police officer as Elena walked up.

"Your friend didn't happen to know a man named Luke Wallace?" Elena asked.

The girl and the police officer turned to her and she held out her ID

"Anastasia Page, FBI." She offered, smiling at the police officer as he slipped away.

"Um, who's Luke Wallace?" the girl, Tracy, asked, tilting her head to the side as if she was confused.

"He died yesterday." Elena said, getting a strange feeling off of this girl.

"I don't know who that is." She shrugged, looking bored yet slightly concerned.

Sam held up a hex bag and Elena nodded in his direction, turning back to the girl to get her name and information in case she needed to be contacted further.

* * *

Once again, they were spread out researching how and why a teenage girl could be boiled alive by an apple bobbing station. Elena was laid out on the bed on her stomach with Sam while he was on his back. Every once in a while, when they were getting bored of what they were reading, they would wordlessly switch books and continue on. Dean was at the table munching on some food and researching the victims on the computer.

"I'm telling you, both these vics are squeaky clean. There is no reason for a wicked bitch payback." Dean sighed, leaning back and dragging his hands down his face.

"Maybe cause it's not about that." Sam said, sounding excited as he sat up.

Both Dean and Elena looked at him questioningly.

"Wow, insightful." Dean commented sarcastically.

"Maybe this witch isn't working the grudge, maybe they're working a spell. Check this out. Three blood sacrifices over three days, the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest. Celtic Calendar, the final day of the final harvest is October 31st." Sam said, getting up to walk over to Dean.

Elena followed, leaning over the Dean's shoulder to read the book that Sam handed him.

"Halloween." Dean said.

"Exactly." Sam confirmed.

"What exactly are the blood sacrifices for?" Elena asked.

"Uh, if I'm right, this witch is summoning a demon, and not just any demon… Samhain." Sam said.

Both Elena and Dean stared at him with blank looks.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Dean asked, shrugging.

"Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween. The Celts believe that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead, and it was Samhain's night. I mean, masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago." the younger brother explained, gesturing dramatically with his hands.

"So even though Samhain took a trip downstairs, the tradition stuck." Dean sighed.

"Exactly, only now instead of demons and blood orgies, Halloween is all about kids, candy and costumes." Sam said.

"Okay, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?" Dean questioned.

"Dean, this is serious." Sam said, staring at his brother with exasperation.

"I am serious." He said quickly.

"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft. This ritual can only be performed every six hundred years."

"And the six hundred year marker rolls around…?" Elena asked, hoping that it wasn't the next night.

"Tomorrow night." Sam nodded

"Naturally." Dean said, putting the book down to show them a page that showed the demon standing on a pile of bodies and holding a head in his hands.

"Well it sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon." Dean commented

"That's because he likes company. Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own." Sam said, looking down at the picture.

"Raising what, exactly?" Elena questioned.

"Dark, evil crap and lots of it, I mean, they follow him around like the friggin' Pied Piper."

"So we're talking ghosts?" Elena asked.

"Yeah." Sam said.

"Zombies?" Dean said.

"Mm-hmm."

"Leprechauns?" Dean asked.

"Dean…" Sam sighed.

"Those little dudes are scary. Small hands." Dean said with wide eyes.

He was slightly dissuaded when neither of the other two laughed.

"Look, it just starts with ghosts and ghouls, this sucker keeps on going, by night's end we are talking every awful thing we have ever seen. Everything we fight, all in one place." Sam stressed.

"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse." Dean realized.

"And we're right in the middle of all of it." Elena said.

"We need to find this witch and we need to find it now." Sam said, slamming the book shut as he turned to walk to the bed.

* * *

Elena and Dean were sitting outside the Wallace house just watching in the early morning hours of the next day. They'd questioned the wife again and she insisted that she didn't know the victim who died the previous night so now they were just staking out the house while Dean ate piece of candy after piece of candy. She was squished against the other side of the Impala, eyeing him with disgust.

"Would you stop eating so much damn candy? You're gonna get sick." Elena said, eyeing the wrappers that littered the floor of the Impala.

"I can't help it! It's so addictive!" Dean said, closing his eyes with satisfaction as he swallowed a piece of taffy.

"You're like a child." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! I never got Halloween so this is me making up for it. My Halloweens growing up consisted of hunting and ganking every creepy thing that preyed on the children that were out and about all night." Dean said, looking over at her.

Elena bit her lip, suddenly feeling sorry for berating him.

"My Halloweens were always the same. We would dress up, go out and trick or treat, and then Jer and I would go home and sort our candy out into the different kinds while we watched Hocus Pocus." Elena said, smiling fondly at the memory.

"What's Hocus Pocus?" Dean asked, unwrapping a piece of chocolate.

"It's a children's Halloween movie but it's so amazing that you can watch it at any age. Have you and Sam seriously never seen it?" Elena asked before taking a piece of chocolate from him.

"Nah, we never did." he said, shrugging as he glanced up at her.

They both grew quiet, staring at each other. Dean swallowed hard before he looked like he wanted to say something. The spell was broken when his phone rang. They both remembered that they were angry at each other and looked away.

"How's it going?" Sam questioned.

Dean put it on speaker so she could hear it as she stared down at her lap.

"Awesome, yeah, we talked with Mrs. Razor Blade again. We've been sitting out in front of her house for hours and we've got a big steamy pile of nothing." He said.

"Look, someone planted those hex bags, someone with access to both houses. There's gotta be some connection." Sam tried to convince them.

"Yeah, well I hope we find 'em soon cause I'm starting to cramp like a…"

Dean and Elena both sat up when they saw something, their eyes widening.

"Son of a bitch." Dean cursed as they watched Tracy walk up to the Wallace house.

"Quit whining." Sam said, not feeling sorry for him.

"No, Sam, I mean, son of a bitch." Dean said.

They looked on as Tracy walked up to the door and knocked on it. Mrs. Wallace greeted her with a smile, a baby in her arms that Tracy took and began cooing at the child.

* * *

Dean and Elena walked into the motel with food and candy in their arms and they set it all on the table. Sam walked over and immediately began digging through it.

"So, our apple bobbing cheerleader?" he asked.

"Tracy?" Dean questioned.

"Mm-hmm?" Sam confirmed, picking up a burger and opening it to take a bite.

"The Wallaces' babysitter. Told me she never even heard of Luke Wallace." Elena said as Dean pulled off his jacket.

"Huh, interesting look for a centuries old witch." Sam said, walking back over to his bed and sitting down again.

Elena and Dean followed, sitting side by side on the other bed as they began to eat their own food.

"Yeah, well, if you were a six-hundred-year hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader? I would… hmm…" Dean murmured.

Elena turned to glare at him, raising her eyebrow and Sam stared at him with a furrowed brow. Dean noticed they were staring at him after he finished being lost in thought and he caught sight of Elena's look.

"Well, Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks." Sam said before they could start fighting again. "Did some digging… apparently she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers, got suspended from school."

Next to a picture of Tracy were some notes, mainly about her being suspended from school for attacking a teacher.

"I say we go find this teacher and ask him if he's seen any witchy business from his student." Dean suggested.

Both of the others nodded and they all got up and dressed to go back to high school.

* * *

Elena and Dean walked into the art class first after being shown where it was. Sam was hanging back and peeking in Tracy's locker after figuring out the combination. Dean stopped short and looked up at the masks that were hanging around the doorway. He stood still staring up at them with wide eyes.

"Dean?" Elena questioned, concerned at his panicked expression.

He flinched as she reached out to him.

"Dean, are you ok?" Elena said, panicking as well.

She saw Sam walk into the room and looked at him hesitantly.

"Bring back memories?" Sam asked as he walked up, not noticing Dean's expression.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked fearfully, snapping out of it as he turned to face Sam.

His face was still a little pale but Sam didn't notice.

"Being a teenager, all that angst." He said, looking around at the students milling around the room.

"Oh." Dean sighed, obviously relieved that Sam didn't notice his fear.

"What'd you think I meant?" Sam asked, finally realizing that Dean's reaction wasn't normal.

"Nothing." Dean brushed off, turning to survey the room.

He noticed a kid from the party the night before attempting to put a huge bong in a kiln.

"Now that brings back memories." He said, grinning as he returned back to his normal self.

It was easy to forget that Dean spent an extended amount of time in hell when he acted so normal. Elena had almost completely forgotten about it until now. Now she was simply concerned and she had no idea what to do. If he was having flashbacks by simply seeing a few masks, what could she do?

"Dude, I need a bigger kiln." The kid said, guffawing at his friend.

"You gentlemen wanna talk to me?" a man said, walking in with a crate of artwork.

"Ah, Mr. Harding." Sam said, holding out his hand.

"Oh, please, Don." He said, shaking it and smiling up at Sam.

"Okay, Don." Sam said, a little hesitant.

"Even my students call me Don." The teacher said, turning to Dean and shaking his hand.

"Yeah, we get it, Don." Dean said gruffly, nodding at him as he walked to the desk.

"I'm Agent Bonham, this is Agent Plant and Miss Page. We just had a few questions about, uh, Tracy Davis." Dean said, looking around the room.

"Uh, yeah, Tracy, uh, bright kid, loads of talent. It's a shame she got suspended." Don said, looking solemn

"Uh, you two had a… uh, violent altercation." Sam asked

"Yeah, she exploded. If Principal Murrow hadn't walked by when he did, Tracy would have clawed my eyes out." the teacher said, looking unbothered by the incident.

"Why?" Elena asked

"I, uh, you know, I was only trying to rap with her about her work. It had gotten inappropriate and disturbing." Don shrugged, digging through the crate.

"More disturbing, than, uh, those guys?" Dean asked, pointing at the masks.

"She would cover page after page with these bizarre cryptic symbols, and then there were the drawings. Detailed images of killings, gory, primitive, and she would depict herself in the middle of them, participating." Don said, making Elena, Dean, and Sam give him slightly disgusted looks.

This sounded like their witch, all right.

"Symbols, what kind of symbols? Uh, anything like this?" Sam asked, pulling out a bag with the silver coin.

"Yeah, yeah, I think that might have been one of them." Don nodded, scanning the coin.

"You know where Tracy is now?" Dean asked.

"I would imagine her apartment." He said as if it was something everyone should know.

"Her apartment?" Elena questioned

"Yeah, she got here about a year ago, alone, as I understood it, as an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like." Don said.

"Hmm." Dean nodded.

"Thank you for your time." Elena said with a smile as they turned to walk out of the room.

"Did you find anything in Tracy's locker?" Elena asked Sam, looking up at him as they walked.

"Nothing. Just normal books and stuff. Not anything that would point to her location. I guess we'd better try her apartment." Sam said.

"You two go, I'll stay here and ask Tracy's friends if they know anything." Elena suggested.

"Sounds good. Meet us back at the motel?" Dean asked as Elena veered off into the office to request that they call Tracy's friends to the office so that she could talk to them.

"Sounds good." She nodded, waving goodbye as she walked into the office.

* * *

An hour later, Elena was walking up to the motel with her heels in one hand and a coffee from Starbucks in the other. Sam and Dean were just getting out of the Impala.

"So?" she asked, walking up to them.

"Tracy was nowhere we could find. Any luck with her friends?" Sam questioned.

"Luck is not our style. Her friends don't know where she is." Elena shrugged as they turned to walk towards their room.

"It's like the bitch popped a broomstick." Dean groaned.

Elena looked forward to see a kid dressed as an astronaut walking up to them with a plastic pumpkin in his hands.

"She could be making the third sacrifice any time." Sam reminded them desperately.

"Yes, thank you Sam." Dean said, rolling his eyes at the reminder

"Trick or treat." The kid said when he reached them, holding up the bucket of candy.

"This is a motel." Dean informed the kid.

"So?" he shrugged.

"So we don't have any candy." Dean said, a bit annoyed.

"No, we have a ton in the uh…" Sam began, pointing back at the Impala.

"We did, but it's gone." Dean said quickly, looking slightly guilty. "Sorry kid, we can't help ya."

"I want candy." The young boy said.

"Well, I think you've had enough." Dean chuckled, referring to the kid's chubbiness.

The kid narrowed his eyes to slits and glared at Dean, who looked taken aback by the ferociousness of the glare. Finally the kid moved past Dean, shoving him as Dean put his hands up. Elena watched with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile as the kid walked away. If only Dean knew how similar he acted to that little kid when he wanted candy or pie. They heard a shout and ran into the room that Sam had opened and gone into. Sam had his gun in his hands and was pointing it at a dark-skinned man who was turned away from them and staring out the window. Elena's eyes darted around and she caught sight of Castiel leaning against the wall.

"Sam… it's ok." She said, laying a hand on his arm as she gestured to Cas.

"Sam, Dean, Elena." Castiel nodded as he strode forward to stand in front of them.

"What are you doing here, Cas?" Elena questioned.

The angel almost flinched as she spoke and she wondered why he had an adverse reaction to her calling him by the nickname.

"It is good that you are all right, Elena. It is also good that Sam did not use his powers to exorcise you of the demon."

"You knew about that?" Dean demanded.

Castiel simply stared at him, nodding once. Sam pushed forward, staring at Castiel in awe. It was easy to forget that he hadn't come across the angel yet.

"Hello, Sam." he nodded at him.

"Oh my God – er – uh – I didn't mean to – sorry." Sam stammered, flushing slightly. "It's an honor, really, I – I've heard a lot about you."

He held out his hand as Elena smiled and Dean went to close the door to the room. Castiel stared at the hand that Sam was offering strangely as if he didn't know what to do with it. Sam shook it a little and he finally understood, reaching out with his right hand.

"And I, you. Sam Winchester…" he said, putting his other hand over their joined hands. "The boy with the demon blood."

Sam's smile faded slightly and Elena looked at Castiel with a frown.

"Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities." The angel said, ignoring her pointed look.

"Let's keep it that way." the man by the window finally spoke.

"Yeah, okay, chuckles." Dean scoffed, looking at the mysterious man before looking back at Cas. "Who's your friend?"

"This the raising of Samhain, have you stopped it?" Cas asked, not paying attention to Dean's question.

"Why?" Elena questioned.

"Have you located the witch?" the angel asked a bit desperately, his eyes flashing back to the other man.

"Yes, we've located the witch." Dean said, nodding.

"And is the witch dead?" Cas asked.

"No, but…" Sam began.

"… we know who it is." Elena finished.

Castiel turned and walked to the table, picking something up.

"Apparently the witch knows who you are too." He said, turning to face them and holding it out.

It was a hex bag. Elena's blood ran cold as she thought of what could have happened to them if the angel hadn't found the bag.

"This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or all of you would be dead. Do you know where the witch is now?" Cas asked, his eyes wide and imploring.

Elena watched as Dean and Sam exchanged a wary look.

"We're working on it." Dean said.

"That's unfortunate." Cas replied quickly, his eyes staring off into space.

"What do you care?" Elena questioned, staring at him.

"The raising of Samhain is one of the 66 seals." He said, turning to face them once again.

"So this is about your buddy Lucifer." Dean realized.

"Lucifer is no friend of ours." The mysterious man said, still gazing out the window.

"It's just an expression." Dean said, glaring at his back.

"Lucifer cannot rise. The breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs." Cas said, stepping forward.

"Okay, great, well now that you're here, why don't you tell us where the witch is, we'll gank her and everybody goes home." Dean shrugged.

"We are not omniscient. This witch is very powerful, she's cloaked even our methods." Cas said, sounding a bit ashamed.

"Okay, well we already know who she is, so if we work together…" Sam began to say.

"Enough of this." the other man said, cutting Sam off.

"Okay, who are you and why should I care?" Dean demanded, turning to glare at him.

The man finally turned from the window to look at them all with sharp eyes.

"This is Uriel, he's what you might call a… specialist." Cas said, his eyes downcast as he spoke.

The man that they realized was also an angel began to walk towards him.

"What kind of specialist?" Dean asked.

Uriel turned his gaze upon Castiel and the angel lifted his head as if resigned to something.

"What are you gonna do?" Elena questioned, eyeing him warily.

"You… uh, all of you… you need to leave this town immediately." Cas said evasively.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because we're about to destroy it." Cas said without missing a beat, looking between all of them.

Sam and Dean exchanged a worried glance as Elena's mouth fell open. That was the last thing she expected to hear from the angels.

"Cas…" she began.

"So this is your plan, you're gonna smite the whole friggin' town?" Dean demanded, angry at this point.

"We're out of time. This witch has to die, the seal must be saved." Cas explained.

"There are a thousand people here." Elena said pleadingly, trying to reason with the angel that she thought better of

"One thousand two hundred fourteen." Uriel corrected her, looking a bit smug.

Elena never thought that she would think the words, 'I want to punch this angel' but she was thinking them at that exact moment.

"And you're willing to kill them all?" Sam questioned, staring between Castiel and Uriel

"This isn't the first time I've… purified a city." Uriel said as if it was something he did between lunch and dinner.

"Look, I understand this is regrettable…" Cas began.

"Regrettable?" Dean interrupted, scoffing angrily.

"We have to hold the line. Too many seals have broken already." Cas said.

"So you screw the pooch on some seals and this town has to pay the price?" Dean growled.

"It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion. There's a bigger picture here." Castiel said, looking around at all of them.

"Right, cause you're bigger picture kind of guys." Dean snapped.

Elena was as angry as Dean at this point despite the fact that she knew some of his anger was coming from the fact that they encouraged Elena to keep her abilities hidden from him and Sam.

"Lucifer cannot rise. He does and hell rises with him. Is that something that you're willing to risk?" Castiel said, stepping closer to them.

"We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone. Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die." Sam said, almost begging with the angels.

"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys." Uriel said emotionlessly.

Castiel turned to look at Uriel.

"I'm sorry, but we have our orders." He said, turning away from them.

"No, you can't do this, you're angels, I mean aren't you supposed to… you're supposed to show mercy." Sam said, sounding extremely disappointed.

"Says who?" Uriel shot back with a smirk.

"We have no choice." Castiel said quickly, obviously trying not to anger them too much.

"Of course you have a choice. I mean, come on, what? You've never questioned a crap order, huh? What are you both, just a couple of hammers?" Dean demanded.

"Look, even if you can't understand it, have faith. The plan is just." Cas said, looking back at Dean.

"How can you even say that?" Elena asked, crossing her arms and looking at him with a furrowed brow.

"Because it comes from heaven, that makes it just."

"Oh, it must be nice, to be so sure of yourselves." Dean said icily, glaring between Castiel and Uriel.

"Tell me something, Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn't you obey?" Cas asked.

Dean took a moment, staring at Castiel as if he was sizing him up. For a second, Elena almost thought he was going to agree with the angels after Cas brought up his father.

"Well sorry boys, looks like the plans have changed." Dean said finally, much to her relief.

"You think you can stop us?" Uriel scoffed.

Finally having enough, Dean walked up to stand in Uriel's face, his own face pissed as hell.

"No, but if you're gonna smite this whole town, then you're gonna have to smite us with it, because we are not leaving. See, you went to the trouble of busting me out of hell. I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs. So you wanna waste me, go ahead, see how he digs that." he challenged, raising an eyebrow at the angel.

"I will drag you out of here myself." Uriel threatened, narrowing his eyes at Dean.

"Yeah, but you'll have to kill me, then we're back to the same problem. I mean, come on, you're gonna wipe out a whole town for one little witch. Sounds to me like you're compensating for something."

Elena fought back a smile at the older Winchester brother's accusation. Dean turned back to look Castiel.

"We can do this. We will find that witch and we will stop the summoning." He assured the angel.

"Castiel! I will not let these peop…" Uriel began to argue.

"Enough!" Cas said as he held up his hand to stop Uriel from talking.

He stared at Dean for a moment before his eyes flickered over to Elena and took in her pleading look.

"I suggest you move quickly." He said before him and Uriel disappeared from the room.

* * *

They ran out to the Impala, not wasting any time on standing around. They all stopped short when they saw the eggs that covered the hood and the doors. Elena and Sam turned slowly to look at Dean, whose eyes were wide at seeing his baby. His face turned slightly red and his jaw clenched. Elena slowly walked to the passenger side with Sam as Dean walked around to the driver's door. As they climbed in, they saw Dean turn to glare around.

"Astronaut!" he shouted vengefully, making Elena fight back a laugh.

When he finally did climb into the car, he looked over to see Sam staring down at the hex bag

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing." Sam mumbled, taking a deep breath as they sat in the parking lot. "I thought they'd be different."

"Who, the angels?" Dean questioned.

"I just… I mean, I thought they'd be righteous." Sam shrugged, shaking his head as if the thought were ridiculous now.

"Well, they are righteous, I mean, that's kinda the problem. Of course there's nothing more dangerous than some asshole who thinks he's on a holy mission." Dean said.

Elena watched as the brother's conversed, not wanting to get in the middle of it because, honestly, this was the closest she'd seen them since she personally met them. She didn't want to interrupt that.

"But, I mean, this is God? And Heaven? This is what I've been praying to?" the younger Winchester sighed, obviously disappointed.

"Look man, I know you're into the whole God thing, you know, Jesus on a tortilla and stuff like that. But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel's rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks. Don't give up on this stuff, is all I'm saying. Babe Ruth was a dick but baseball's still a beautiful game." Dean assured him.

Elena smiled at the way Dean spoke to Sam. He may not have thought so, but he was an excellent older brother. Sam bit his cheek, still disappointed as he opened the hex bag and looked at the contents. He picked up the charred bone as Dean started the car.

"Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch, or are you just gonna sit there fingering your bone?" Dean asked.

After a moment, Sam made a face as he pinched the bone between his fingers.

"You know how much heat it would take to char a bone like this?" he questioned.

"No." Dean said, shaking his head.

"A lot, I mean, more than a fire or some kitchen oven." Sam explained, dropping it back in the bag and turning to look at Dean.

"Okay, Betty Crocker, what does that mean?" Dean asked, pulling out onto the street.

"It means we make a stop… we need to go back to the high school." Sam said.

When they got to the high school, they had to sneak into the door after Sam picked the lock. Luckily, as it was a small town, there wasn't a security guard at the high school. They immediately headed for the art room and, when they got there, Dean went to inspect the kilns as Sam went to Don Harding's desk.

"So Tracy used the kiln to char the bone, what's the big deal?" Dean asked as he walked over.

Elena leaned against a table watching them silently, thinking about how no one could possibly figure out that Tracy was using the kiln.

"That hex bag turned up in our room, not after we talked to Tracy…" Sam said, looking up at Dean.

"… after we talked to the teacher." Elena realized.

Sam looked down, noticing a locked drawer on Don's desk.

"Hey…" he said, pointing to it.

Elena stood and walked over as Sam grabbed a hammer off of the desk and pounded at it until the lock broke off. Then he reached down and opened the drawer, all of them leaning in too see what would be in there. A bowl of both charred and not charred bones sat on the top of a bunch of papers with strange writing on them.

"My God, those are all from children." Sam sighed, looking down with wide eyes.

"And I'm guessing he's not saving them for the dog." Dean grumbled.

* * *

After that revelation, they hurried over to the address on Don's file. Instead of bothering to knock or ring the doorbell, Dean just broke it down and they all pulled out their guns as they ran inside. They could hear faint talking from below them and began to search around for a set of stairs leading to the basement. When they got down there, they saw Tracy Davis tied from the ceiling on a rope screaming and struggling to get free. Don was standing in front of her with a knife about to stab her. Dean immediately raised his gun and shot the man three times, causing his body to fall to the ground. Sam rushed forward and untied Tracy as Dean checked for Don's pulse.

"Thank you, he was gonna kill me! Ugh, that sick son of a bitch. I mean, did you see what he was doing? Did you hear him?" Tracy demanded, looking down at his body with disgust. "How sloppy his incantation was?"

Dean and Sam reacted slowly, just looking up at her with surprise but Elena's gun was already raised again.

"My brother…" Tracy sighed, looking up at them as the brothers caught on and drew their guns once again.

"Always was a little dim." She said, picking up her hand and throwing Dean and Sam back into the wall as they writhed in pain.

"Hey!" Elena shouted, taking aim with her gun.

It flew out of her hands before it could fire and Tracy narrowed her eyes at her.

"He was gonna make me the final sacrifice, his idea, but now, that honor goes to him. Our master's return? The spellwork's a two man job you understand, so for six hundred years I had to deal with that pompous son of a bitch. Planning, preparing, unbearable." She whined, staring at Elena as if she thought that she would understand.

Tracy knelt next to Don and picked up the knife and the chalice that he'd been holding in preparation for the sacrifice.

"The whole time I wanted to rip his face off." Tracy growled, digging the knife into one of the bullet wounds and holding the chalice out to catch the blood.

Elena knelt beside the boys as they continued to writhe in pain.

"And you get him with a gun, uh, love that." Tracy giggled, standing up and walking to the altar.

"You know, back in the day, this was the one day you kept your children inside. Well tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is." She said, looking down at the set up.

She began to recite another incantation and Sam began crawling to Don's body. He put his hand in the blood and began to smear it on his face.

"What are you doing?" Dean hissed.

"Just follow my lead." Sam said, spreading blood on both of their faces as well.

They moved away from each other and Sam instructed Elena to lie down as well. She did so, right next to Dean. The ground began to crack as Tracy recited the incantation and they heard rather than saw the demon rise from the ground. They had failed.

"My love." they heard Tracy sigh happily.

"You've aged." Samhain said, his voice deeper than Don's.

"This face… I can't fool you." she said unhappily.

"Your beauty is beyond time."

Suddenly they heard a sickening crack.

"Whore." Samhain said emotionlessly.

He turned and sniffed the air for a moment. Elena could feel his eyes on them as she kept her eyes closed and her body perfectly still. When he walked out of the room and shut the door, they finally sat up slowly.

"What the hell was that?" Dean whispered.

"Halloween lore. People used to wear masks to hide from him, so I gave it a shot." Sam shrugged, looking at them.

"You gave it a shot?" Dean demanded, not believing that they took a big chance on Sam's 'shot'.

"Shh! He saved our lives! Now we have to go save everyone else's." Elena snapped, standing up and grabbing a towel to wipe her face off.

"Where the hell are we gonna find this mook?" Dean questioned as they walked towards the Impala across the street from the house.

"Where would you go to raise other dark forces of the night?" Sam questioned, looking over at them.

"The cemetery." Elena suggested.

"Yeah." Sam nodded as they got in the Impala and drove off.

"So, this demon's pretty powerful." Sam said as they drove down the road towards the only cemetary in town.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Might take more than the usual weapons."

Elena and Dean both glanced at Sam as they realized what he was talking about.

"Sam, no, you're not using your psychic whatever. Don't even think about it. Ruby's knife is enough." Dean said, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Why?" Sam asked, sounding desperate.

"Well because the angels said so for one." Dean said.

"I thought you said they were a bunch of fanatics." Sam sighed, looking over at his brother.

"Well they happen to be right about this one." Elena jumped in, not wanting to get Sam in trouble with Castiel or anyone else.

"I don't know, Dean, it doesn't seem like they're right about much." Sam shrugged.

"Well then forget the angels, okay? You said yourself, these powers, it's like playing with fire." Dean said.

Elena grabbed the knife from the backseat and handed it to Sam.

"Please." She pleaded with wide eyes.

When they got to the cemetery, they immediately went down into a crypt where they heard screams. A bunch of teenagers were locked in one of the rooms and blood was spattered all over the floor.

"Help them." Sam said, gesturing to the teen's as he turned to run down the hallway.

"Dude, you're not going off alone." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Do it!" Sam demanded, turning to run off.

"I'll go with him, take care of this." Elena said, pulling out her gun and following Sam at a sprint.

After a few minutes of running, they slowed to walking and were looking around to see if they could catch any sight of the demon. When they turned a corner, they saw him standing in front of them facing the far wall. Sam motioned for Elena to stop and began to walk forward slowly, Ruby's knife in one hand and a gun in the other. When he got close, Samhain whirled around and pointed his hand at Sam, white light blasting out of it.

"Yeah, that demon ray gun stuff? It doesn't work on me." Sam shrugged.

The Samhain let out a frustrated howl and launched at Sam, who punched the demon as they began to fight. Elena didn't know what to do. They were too close together for her to shoot the Samhain and too entangled for her to pull them apart. The Samhain gained an advantage and shoved Sam against the wall by his neck. Elena rushed forward, throwing the gun down as she seized the back of his shirt and threw him across the room. Unfortunately, this motion caused the knife to go flying across the room.

Sam and Elena both launched for it as Samhain stumbled forward again. Sam grabbed it and sliced into the demon's arm, causing his skin to sizzle. Samhain growled inhumanly and grabbed Sam by the throat once more, throwing him across the room and into the wall once more. Elena lunged for the knife but the demon grabbed her arm and propelled her into the wall headfirst. She collapsed to the ground and clutched at her now bleeding head as Samhain started forward to attack Sam once more. Before she knew it, Sam's hand was raised and smoke began pouring out of the body.

"No!" she cried, knowing what Sam was doing and desperate to get him to stop.

Blood began leaking out of Sam's nose as he struggled to maintain his power. His hand flew to his head and he began letting out grunts of pain. Finally the smoke stopped, descending into the ground as Don's body collapsed to the floor. Elena looked on with devastated eyes as Sam collapsed to his knees. She ran to him and supported him, pressing her hand to his head to heal him first before she healed herself. She hadn't tried healing anyone else before without Castiel. Nothing was happening.

"Please… don't…" he began, out of breath after the exorcism.

"It's ok." She murmured, concentrating on healing him.

"Don't tell Dean." Sam managed to gasp out, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

Elena stared down at him with wide eyes, not sure how to react to the request. On the one hand, she wanted to keep Sam safe and she wanted the brothers' relationship to continue to repair itself. On the other hand, she had no desire to lie to Dean.

"Promise me you won't do it again." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could help it. "Promise me that you will never use those powers again and I will keep my mouth shut."

Sam nodded quickly as they stumbled to their feet.

"I promise." He sighed, pulling her into a grateful hug.

Elena hated it but, for some reason, she had a feeling that Sam wouldn't keep that promise.

* * *

Elena and Sam walked around the room packing up different things. Dean had gone to get some fresh air at the park across the street so they were left alone. They were steadily avoiding each other's gazes as an awkward silence filled the room.

"Tomorrow." Uriel's voice came out of nowhere.

They both jumped at the sound of his voice that interrupted the silence and turned to stare at him as he sat casually in a chair.

"November 2nd, it's an anniversary for you." he said, staring at Sam.

"What are you doing here?" Sam demanded

"It's the day Azazel killed your mother, and twenty-two years later your girlfriend too. It must be difficult to bear, yet you so brazenly use the power he gave you. His profane blood pumping through your veins." Uriel said.

"Excuse me?" Sam questioned, looking pained at the reminder.

"You were told not to use your abilities." Uriel

"And what was he supposed to do? That demon would have killed us both, and Dean and everyone." Elena defended him, stepping forward stubbornly.

"You were told not to." Uriel reiterated, ignoring Elena.

"If Samhain had gotten loose in this town…" Sam began.

"You've been warned, twice now."

"You know? My brother was right about you, you are dicks." Sam snapped, having enough of Uriel.

"The only reason you're still alive, Sam Winchester, is because you've been useful. But the moment that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you're worth, one word. One, and I will turn you to dust. As for your brother, tell him that maybe he should climb off that high horse of his. Ask Dean what he remembers from hell." Elena's eyes widened at his words and Sam looked confused.

Uriel turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"And you, doppelganger, need to remember what side you're on and who made you." he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Oh Castiel hasn't told you. How sweet." Uriel said before disappearing.

* * *

Elena walked outside to get away from Sam and his thoughtful gaze. Dean was going to have to talk to him about hell before he found out from someone else. But then again, Sam couldn't really say much about being truthful at the moment and neither could Elena. She spotted Dean on a bench at the park and sighed, walking across the street. She sat beside him and took a deep breath, preparing to tell him everything about her abilities. She was tired of fighting with him. When they heard both fluttering wings, she snapped her mouth shut and looked over at Castiel.

"Let me guess you're here for the 'I told you so'." Dean guessed, not taking his eyes off the children.

"No." Cas said.

"Well, good, cause I'm really not that interested."

"I am not here to judge you, Dean." The angel said.

"Then why are you here?" Dean demanded, turning to look at Cas.

"Our orders…" he began.

"Yeah, you know, I've had about enough of these orders of yours." The hunter snapped.

"Our orders were not to stop the summoning of Samhain, they were to do whatever you told us to do." Cas said quickly, staring at Dean.

"Your orders were to follow my orders?" Dean questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It was a test, to see how you would perform under... battlefield conditions, you might say."

"It was a witch, not the Tet Offensive."

Castiel smiled slightly, looking down at his hands.

"So I, uh, failed your test, huh? I get it. But you know what? If you would have waved that magic time-traveling wand of yours and we had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call. 'Cause see, I don't know what's gonna happen when these seals are broken, hell I don't even know what's gonna happen tomorrow. But what I do know is, that this, here? These kids, the swings, the trees, all of it is still here because of us." Dean said defensively, sounding proud of the job they did.

"You misunderstand me, Dean, I'm not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town." Cas said, causing Elena to feel a little bit better about the angel once again.

"You were?" Dean asked, cocking his head to the side with confusion.

"These people, they're all my father's creations. They're works of art, and yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken and we are one step closer to hell on earth, for all creation. Now that's not an expression, Dean, it's literal. You of all people should appreciate what that means. Can I tell you two something if you promise not to tell another soul?" Cas asked.

"Okay." They both said slowly.

"I'm not a… hammer as you say. I have questions, I have doubts. I don't know what is right and what is wrong anymore, whether you passed or failed here. But in the coming months you will have more decisions to make. I don't envy the weight that's on your shoulders, Dean. I truly don't." Cas said, shaking his head.

Elena heard Dean sigh heavily next to her as Castiel shot him a sympathetic look. When Dean turned to look out at the kids again, Elena following his eyeline, they both heard Castiel disappear.

"I'm done fighting with you." Dean said after several minutes of uncomfortable silence. "Tell me what you want or don't."

He stood up, glancing away from her.

"I don't care anymore."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I know it's not fun seeing Dean and Elena fight but it's for a good reason.**

**Next: The chapters with Anna comes into play. Elena spends an extended period of time with Ruby and she discovers a few things. When she notices Dean and Anna getting close, she becomes angrier than she expected.**


	14. Which Way Will the Heavenly Go?

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, Nyssandria, LineChokor, Dean Winchester Rocks, xxPaige23xx, taylena4ever, animagirl, Ojha, and the guest for reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Demons – Sleigh Bells**

**A few things:**

**1. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**2. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

"Anna? Do you know where you are?"

The wide-eyed girl sitting on the bed shook her head.

"You're at the Connor Beverly Behavioral Medicine Center. Do you know why you're here? Do you remember what you did?"

The girl shrugged, still not talking.

"You were hysterical. It took four people to restrain you." the psychologist said, looking at the pale redheaded woman with concern.

"I was trying to warn them." The young woman said, looking down at her fingers.

"Warn who?" the other woman asked.

"Everyone. Forget it. It was stupid." Anna shrugged off, turning to look out the window.

"What were you trying to warn them about?"

"Look... I get it. You think I'm nuts. If I were you, I'd think I was nuts. But it's all true." Anna said desperately.

"It's okay. You can tell me. I'm here to listen." The psychologist said.

"The end... is coming. The apocalypse."

Anna looked up at her psychologist with wide eyes that were pleading with her to believe her.

"The apocalypse. Like in the Bible?" the professional questioned

"Kind of. I mean, same bottom line. This demon, Lilith, is trying to break the 66 seals to free Lucifer from Hell. Lucifer... Will bring the apocalypse. So... smoke 'em if you got 'em." Anna explained.

She broke off when she heard a distant whispering.

"Anna?" the psychologist asked, bringing her attention back.

"Sorry." Anna said quickly, looking down at her hands once more.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing. Just listening."

"So, you were saying that there are, uh, sixty-six of these seals in the world?" the psychologist prodded.

"No. No. There are about six hundred possible seals, and Lilith only has to break sixty-six of them, and no one knows which sixty-six she's gonna break. That's why it's nearly impossible to stop her. And that's why the angels are losing. That's why we're all gonna die." Anna stressed, looking panicked.

A hospital attendant came the room shortly after the psychologist left, telling Anna to get some sleep.

"Time for your meds, Anna." the attendant said from the foot of the bed, trying to get her attention as she stared out the window. "Anna?"

Anna turned around and a horrified looked came over her face when she noticed the man.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" the attendant asked with a saccharine voice.

"Your face… what happened to your face?" Anna stammered, her face draining of all the color it had left.

"I know." The man said, grinning at her.

His eyes turned black and he shrugged.

"I'm downright kissable." He said, starting forward to attack her.

Anna turned to a chest of drawers and concentrated. They flew across the room and pinned the attendant against the wall, knocking human unconscious. Silently, she slid past him and out of the room, running down the hallway as quickly as she could.

* * *

Elena turned to survey the bar, clutching the beer in her hand as her eyes flashed across every face in the place.

"Hey baby." A voice said from beside her.

She turned to see a drunken twenty-something man grinning sloppily at her. He reeked of at least five different alcoholic beverages.

"Not happening." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on. I know you want me." the man said, slurring his words so bad that it made it hard to understand him.

"No." Elena said simply, her eyes falling on Sam and Dean beside a pool table.

"You are just playing hard to get. It's ok. I like the chase." He said, reaching out and sliding his hand up Elena's jean clad thigh.

She reached out and grabbed his wrist, squeezing it so hard that she could feel the bones grinding together. Her strength was increasing the more she used her powers to heal. She noticed it with each fight that she got in over the last week. The man let out a squeal and the rest of the bar turned to look at them.

"Keep your hands off of me." she whispered in his ear, throwing his hand away so that she wouldn't break his wrist as she wanted to.

Then she stood and walked over to the pool table where Dean and Sam were talking to the man that Sam had been playing pool with. She knew that they were trying to hustle him.

"Brian, come on, man, just one more. Just… just give me a chance to win it back." Sam pleaded drunkenly, waving his arms wildly.

"It's your cash." Brian shrugged, looking amused.

"Excuse me. My brother's a little sauced to be making bets." Dean stepped in, looking at Sam with a furrowed brow.

"He insisted." Brian shrugged.

"Hey, but you've already taken, what, two bills off him? I'm just saying." The older brother said, moving to pull Sam away from the table.

"Hey, shut up, Dean. I'm fine." Sam said, pushing him off.

"No, you're not fine, Sam. You're drunk!" Elena said.

"Hey, if you want to make it real interesting, throw in a night with this girl here." the disgusting man said, winking at Elena.

She turned to glare at him, her entire body screaming at her to attack him.

"Not happening." Dean growled, pulled out of his act for a moment.

"Hey, sorry man. I didn't know she was with you." Brian said, raising his hands in surrender.

Elena remained quiet, looking away from Dean.

"Let's make it five hundred." Sam slurred, slamming more money down on the table.

"Five hundred?" Dean demanded, turning to stare at his brother with wide eyes.

"Sure." He shrugged, throwing Dean a sloppy grin.

"Five hundred. Your break." Brian said, looking down to count the bills.

Sam and Dean shared a completely sober look and Dean winked knowledgeably at his brother. Elena fought the smile that threatened to take over her face. They were far too good at this and Elena had to wonder how old they were when they started with this act. Sam leaned down to break and sank several balls at once. When his eyes lifted to look at Brian, they fell on something else instead.

"Keep the money." He breathed, dropping the cue and walking away.

Elena watched with wide eyes as he walked away.

"Keep the money? What…" Dean began, looking after Sam.

They both caught sight of the brunette girl standing in the corner, watching as Sam walked over to her.

"I'll play you instead." Elena offered, stepping around Dean to walk up to the man, smiling at him.

"That wasn't the bet." Brian began to argue.

"Well honestly it's been forever since I've played. Maybe you can help me remember how." She shrugged, picking up Sam's cue and leaning over the table to grab the chalk, causing her dress to ride up her thighs.

"Sounds good." The man said quickly as Dean walked off to confront Sam and Ruby.

Elena smiled up at Brian as they began playing. Every time she sank a ball, she squealed and jumped up and down, raising her arms to make her dress ride up once more. The tattoo on her shoulder blade was healed, showing completely with the cut of the dress' sleeves. She was being so ridiculous and innocent that the man couldn't help but cheer for her as well when she continued to beat him. Dean and Sam turned to walk back, Sam with an interested look and Dean with an angry one, just as she got down to the black eight ball. Her eyes flickered up to them as she surveyed the table, pretending to be deciding how to win the game. Her face broke out into a wide grin as she looked at them.

"Look! I'm winning!" she exclaimed dramatically, gesturing to the table.

"We can see that." Dean said gruffly, glaring down at it.

Elena turned to give Brian a small smile before she lined up her last shot. It was an easy one and the eight ball flew into the pocket easily. Elena stood with a grin, setting down the cue and turning to look at the perverted man.

"Thanks for the game, Brian." She said, winking as she grabbed the money.

He stared after them with shock as they walked out, Elena pulling on her coat as Dean and Sam walked on either side of her.

* * *

They were speeding down the road and Dean just finished filling her in on what Ruby said as Sam called to confirm her story.

"Can I get a copy of the missing persons report? Great. Okay. Thanks." Sam said to the phone before hanging up. "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real."

"Don't mean the case is real. And this hospital's a three-day drive." Dean said gruffly, sounding angry once again.

"We've driven further for less, Dean. You got something to say, say it." Sam sighed, looking out the window as he readied himself for whatever his bother had to say.

"Oh, I'm saying it… this sucks." Dean snapped.

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl. You're pissed Ruby threw us the tip." Sam shot back.

Elena sighed heavily, turning to stare out the window. One appearance from Ruby and it seemed that all of the progress they'd made disappeared. She wondered how Dean would react if he knew that Sam used his powers as well. She hoped that they wouldn't have to find out but knew that their luck wasn't all that great.

"Right. 'Cause as far as you're concerned, the hell-bitch is practically family. Yeah, boy, something major must've happened while I downstairs, 'cause I come back, and… and you're BFF with a demon?" the older brother growled.

"I told you, Dean, she helped me go after Lilith." Sam replied icily.

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail… real vivid. You want to fill in a little detail?" Dean demanded.

"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories. You first. How was Hell? Don't spare the details."

They all fell silent at Sam's words and Elena bit her lip. It seemed as they all had secrets they were keeping and it was no going well for any of them to keep them quiet. Part of her just wanted to suggest that they spill them right then and there. She kept quiet instead, gazing out of the window as she wished they could go back to how it was before she was possessed.

* * *

_**Six Months Earlier**_

_Sam swayed slightly as he buried the box. When he straightened up, he staggered as he looked around._

"_Come on! Where the hell are you?" he shouted._

"_I was wondering whether to come or not." A voice said behind him._

_He turned to see an attractive female in a form-fitting black dress. He knew better than to think that she was just a woman._

"_I mean, you shot one of my co-workers." The demon tilted her head to the side. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but you don't look so hot, buddy. I guess burying your brother didn't agree with you."_

_He glared at her, fighting the urge to kill her._

"_Well?"_

"_Well, let's see that special little knife of yours first." She said, nodding at his jacket._

_He took out the demon-killing blade and set it on the ground, kicking it away._

"_No devil's traps, either. I'm not here to play games." He said._

"_Well, let me guess. You want to make a deal. And 'round and 'round the Winchesters go." She said, looking amused. "I'm sorry, Sam. That's not gonna happen."_

_Sam moved forward, breathing heavily out of anger._

"_I don't want ten years. I don't want one year. I don't want candy!" he snapped. "I want to trade places with Dean."_

"_No." she said simply._

"_Just take me! It's a fair trade!"_

"_No!" the demon reiterated._

"_Why not? Lilith wants me dead. Just let Dean go, and she can have me." he said._

"_Don't you understand, Sam? It's not about your soul. Dean's in Hell, right where we want him." she said, looking triumphant. "We've got everything exactly the way we want it. You want to kill me? Go ahead. I've made peace with my lord."_

_Sam glared at her, staggering away. He grabbed the knife, shoving it in his jacket before turning to walk off._

* * *

"Of course I want to help however I can." The psychologist confirmed, sorting through files on her desk.

"Now, the orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

"Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia." The woman answered, glancing up at them as she picked up a journal. "He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

"That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her." Dean commented.

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door."

"Right. Uh, you mentioned Anna's illness was recent." Sam said.

Two months ago, she was happy, well-adjusted, journalism major, lots of friends, bright future." She nodded.

"So, what happened? She just... flipped?" Dean questioned.

"Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions." The doctor informed them.

"What kind of delusions?" Elena asked.

"She thought demons were everywhere." She said, handing the journal to Sam.

"Interesting." Dean said.

"It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real." The psychologist said, not sounding too bothered.

"Well, that… that's just batty." He said, smiling.

Elena was watching as Sam turned the pages. When she caught sight of familiar words, her eyes widened.

**Raising of the Witnesses** and on the next page, **Samhain – the next seal is broken.**

"That's Revelations." She said, shocked.

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o-lanterns?" the psychologist scoffed.

"It's a, uh, it's a little-known translation." Dean said quickly.

She nodded once before turning to look at Sam.

"Well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

* * *

Dean knocked on the front door for the fourth time and they all sighed at once.

"Maybe they're not home." he suggested.

"Both cars in the driveway." Sam countered, nodding at the two vehicles.

Dean reached out, trying the door. When they found that it was unlocked, they entered slowly.

"Mr. And Mrs. Milton?"

"We're from the FBI. We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

Elena smelled something strange, turning towards the living room. The brothers followed her in and she gasped when she saw the couple lying on the floor, dead with their throats cut. Sam moved forward, reaching down to pinch some powder that was on the floor close to the bodies. He sniffed it and winced.

"Sulfur. The demons beat us here." He said, glancing up at them. "Whatever the deal is with this Anna girl…"

"Yeah, they want her. They're not screwing around." Dean nodded. "All right, so, I'm 'Girl, Interrupted', and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut-box... possibly using superpowers, by the way. Where do I go?"

Sam glanced at the mantle at the family photographs and frowned, picking one up.

"Hey, you got those sketches from Anna's notebook?" he asked Elena.

She nodded and walked forward with the notebook, flipping it open.

"Check this out." he pointed at the drawing of a stained-glass window. "She was drawing the window of her church."

"Over and over. If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?" Sam said.

* * *

After looking through almost all of the church, Elena, Dean, and Sam ascended upwards. They had their guns at the ready. Before they went to find Anna, they changed into hunting clothing rather than the nice clothing of the FBI. When they walked into the attic, Sam nudged them.

"Hey." He nodded at the back of the room where they could see a figure hiding behind some shelves.

They all put their guns away quickly, not wanting to scare her.

"Anna?" Sam called. "We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to help. My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean, and this our friend, Elena."

There was a few moments of silence.

"Sam? Not Sam Winchester?" a hesitant voice finally said.

"Uh, yeah." He replied, glancing at him with confusion.

The female stepped out, her red hair gleaming even in the dim light of the attic.

"And you're Dean. The Dean?" she said, staring at him with wonder on her face.

"Well, yeah." He nodded. "The Dean, I guess."

"It's really you. Oh, my god. The angels talk about you. You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out, and some of them think you can help save us. And some of them don't like you at all. They talk about you all the time lately. I feel like I know you." Anna breathed, walking forward.

Her eyes fell on Elena and she smiled.

"You're Elena? All the angels seem to like you. It's like you're different." She said, walking forward.

Elena was taken by surprise when the redhead embraced her tightly.

"You're not bad, don't worry." She whispered.

She stared at the mysterious girl with wide eyes as she pulled away.

"So, you talk to angels?" Dean asked, looking at them strangely.

"Oh, no. No, no way. Um, they probably don't even know I exist." Anna said, shaking her head. "I just kind of... overhear them."

"You overhear them?" Sam said.

"Yeah, they talk, and sometimes I just... hear them in my head." She shrugged, glancing at the ceiling.

"Like... right now?" Elena said.

"Not right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out, there are so many of them." Anna sighed.

"So, they lock you up with a case of the crazies when really you were just... tuning in to angel radio?" Dean questioned.

She looked relieved, her eyes shining.

"Yes. Thank you." she breathed.

"Anna, when did the voices start? Do you remember?" Sam asked.

"I can tell you exactly… September 18th." Anna nodded.

"The day I got out of Hell." Dean realized.

"First words I heard, clear as a bell… Dean Winchester is saved."

Dean turned to look at Elena and Sam.

"What do you think?"

"It's above my pay grade, man." Sam said, shaking his head.

Elena had no ideas.

"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad. They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking. You're 1-900-angel." He said, looking back at Anna.

"Hey, um, do you know… are my parents okay?" Anna asked hesitantly. "I… I didn't go home. I was afraid."

They all exchanged wary looks. Before they could speak, Ruby suddenly ran into the room.

"You got the girl. Good, let's go." she said, gesturing to the door.

"Her face!" Anna said, panicking as she staggered backwards.

"It's okay. She's here to help." Sam reassured her.

"Yeah, don't be so sure." Dean snapped as Elena glared at the demon.

"We have to hurry." Ruby said, impatient.

"Why?" Dean demanded.

"Because a demon's coming… big-timer. We can fight later, Dean." She sighed.

"Well, that's pretty convenient… showing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail?" he said icily.

Elena put herself in front of Anna protectively without really thinking about it.

"I didn't bring him here. You did." Ruby shot back.

"What?"

"He followed you from the girl's house. We got to go now." She said, turning her back.

"Hey." Sam said.

They all followed his gaze to a statue of Mary that was bleeding from the eyes.

"It's too late. He's here." Ruby said, sounding afraid.

Elena turned to Anna, grabbing her arm gently.

"You have to hide, okay?" she said, opening the door to a closet. "Stay in there. Don't move."

"Okay." Anna nodded.

She turned back and saw Sam pulling out a flask of holy water.

"No, Sam, you got to pull him right away." Ruby said, shaking her head.

"Whoa, hold on a sec." Dean snapped.

"No!" Elena said, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going darkside. He does his thing, he exorcises that demon, or we die." Ruby ranted.

Sam thought about it for a moment before putting the flask away. Elena shook her head, knowing that she didn't have enough time to dwell on it. He stepped forward just as the demon walked up the stairs. When he lifted his hand and concentrated, the demon laughed.

"That tickles. You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam."

He reached out, grabbing Sam and throwing him down the stairs. Dean ran forward, the demon-killing knife raised in his hand. The demon beat him easily, throwing him against the wall. Elena started forward but she heard a scream and turned back to see Ruby pulling Anna out of the closet. She was torn between protecting the innocent human and throwing herself between Dean and Alastair. When their eyes met, he nodded at her to go after Anna. Just as Elena ran towards them, she heard the demon speak.

"Hello again, Dean."

Elena didn't have time to hear anymore, rushing down the stairs after the demon and the girl. Sam was standing up and he nodded at them as they ran down.

"What the hell are you doing?" Elena hissed as they bolted outside.

"Saving her life." Ruby replied, opening the door to her car. "Are you coming or not?"

Elena glanced back at the church, everything within her screaming not to leave the brothers behind. But she couldn't leave Anna with Ruby either, not when demons had already killed her parents. She jumped into the passenger's seat of the car, trying not to focus on the fact that she was leaving Sam and Dean.

* * *

Sam groaned as he sewed his cut up. The gash was on his arm, blood leaking out of it.

"Are you almost done?" Dean said from the motel room bathroom.

"I'm going as fast as I can." He grunted.

"Good, cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here." Dean said, walking out of the bathroom.

He reached down, picking up a whiskey bottle to drink from it.

"Yeah. I'll pop it back when I'm finished." Sam breathed, looking up at him. "Gimme that."

He poured the whiskey over it and winced at the burn.

"So, you lost the magic knife, huh?" Dean said, sitting down.

"Yeah, saving your ass. Who the hell was that demon?" Sam said, standing up slowly after he put a bandage on the wound.

"No one good. We got to find Anna and Elena." Dean said as Sam positioned himself with his hands on his shoulder.

"Ruby has them. I'm sure they're okay." Sam said dismissively. "All right. Come on. On three. One..."

Sam didn't wait, forcing Dean's shoulder back into place. He let out a groan, fisting his hand and hitting it against his knee.

"You sure about Ruby? Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us." He said once he could speak past the pain.

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe." Sam said confidently.

"Yeah. Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?" Dean asked, pulling his overshirt back on.

Sam sighed, sitting down once more.

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Anna again. That's why he let us go."

"You call this letting us go?" Dean said, wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, I do. Look, killing us would've been no problem to that thing." Sam said. "That's why, for now, we just got to lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us." Sam said.

"How's she gonna do that?" Dean scoffed.

There was no answer and they remained silent for several minutes.

"Why do you trust her so much?"

"I told you." Sam replied.

"You got to do better than that. Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here." Dean said, raising his hands in surrender. "I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I mean, I deserve to know more."

Sam sighed, looking down at his hands.

"Because... she saved my life."

* * *

_**Six Months Earlier**_

_Sam stumbled into the motel room, not noticing that there were two people in there until it was too late. They were both demons. As the male held him against the wall, the female took his knife._

"_Thanks for keeping this warm for me, Sam." she said with a grin._

"_Ruby." He gasped out._

"_It's nice to be back. Where I was, even for Hell, it was nasty. I guess I really pissed Lilith off. Imagine my relief when she gave me one last chance to take it topside. And all I had to do was find you and kill you." she said, looking down at the knife._

_Sam glared between the demons._

"_Fine. Go ahead! Do it." he spat, not wanting to fight._

_Ruby remained still for a moment before stabbing the other demon in the back. When he crumpled to the ground, Sam looked at her with wide eyes._

"_Grab your keys. We got to go." she said, hurrying for the door. "Now!"_

_They drove along quickly, Sam navigating the roads in the darkness. The confrontation with the demons had effectively sobered him up._

"_You know what sounds good? French fries. I'm starving." Ruby said, glancing over at him._

_He didn't answer, staring straight forward._

"_I just escaped Hell. I deserve a treat. You know, a thank you would be nice." She said._

"_Who asked for your help?" he replied._

"_You have no idea what I've been through. When Lilith gets pissed, she gets creative. You want to hear about the corners of Hell I've seen, Sam?" Ruby said, glaring at him._

_He still didn't look at her, shaking his head._

"_No, I don't." he said carelessly._

"_And the things I had to do to convince her I was sorry? That I could be trusted?" she scoffed, shaking her head._

"_Well, this'll definitely get you a fat Christmas bonus." Sam commented._

"_Very funny. I'm a fugitive... for you, Sam." she reminded him. "I took all of this risk to get back to you, so, yeah, I deserve a damn thank you."_

"_Who asked you to save me?" he said, glaring over at her._

"_I'm just trying to help." Ruby said simply._

"_Can you help me save Dean?"_

_She sighed, looking away._

"_No. Nothing I know of is powerful enough to do that."_

_Sam pulled over, stopping the car._

"_Then I have no use for you." he said simply._

"_What?" she said, surprised._

"_Get out." Sam commanded._

"_Sam…"_

"_Whose body are you riding, Ruby?" He interrupted her._

_It wasn't the same blonde as before._

"_What do you care? You've never asked me that before." she said._

"_I'm asking now." Sam said._

"_Some secretary." Ruby shrugged._

"_Let her go." he demanded._

"_Sam..." she started to speak again._

"_Or I send you right back to Hell." He said, lifting up the blade that she'd given back to him._

* * *

_Sam was cleaning a gun when he heard a knock on the door. When he walked to it, he opened it to see a brunette holding up a death certificate._

"_Proof. This body is 100% socially conscious." Ruby said, stepping over the threshold. "I recycle. Al Gore would be proud."_

"_You grabbed a coma patient?" Sam asked, closing the door._

"_You didn't want me to take a body with someone in it, and I made sure that the spirit was gone. Apartment was empty. You happy?" she said, leaning against the table of the motel room._

"_Why are you here?" he said, tired._

"_I can't bring Dean back. But I can get you something else that you want." Ruby offered._

"_And, uh... what's that?" he said skeptically._

"_Lilith." Ruby said._

_Sam remained quiet for a moment, considering her offer._

"_You want me to use my psychic whatever." He understood._

"_Look, I know that it spooks you…" she began, ready to lecture him on it._

"_Skip the speech. I'm ready. Let's go." Sam cut her off, nodding._

"_Slow down there, cowboy." Ruby said, putting her hands up._

"_Just tell me what I have to do." He argued, frowning at her._

_The demon sighed, pushing herself up and walking forward._

"_Look, Lilith is one scary bitch. When I was in the Pit, there was talk. She's cooking up something big… apocalyptic big."_

"_So let's kill her." Sam said simply._

"_You want to go in there and half-ass it like before?" Ruby demanded. "We have the time to get it right. Let's get it right."_

_Sam remained silent for a moment before nodding._

"_Okay. What do you want from me?"_

"_Well, a little patience... and sobriety." Ruby sighed. "Promise me that... and I will teach you everything I know."_

* * *

Elena sat on the ground in front of the dirty couch where Anna was lying, sleeping soundly. Ruby was pacing, looking at her watch every few moments. When she looked at Elena, she sighed and stopped.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What?" Elena demanded, glaring up at her.

"I know you don't like me and that's fine. I'm not sure why because I've never done anything to you but…"

"You screwed Sam over. That's all that I need to know." Elena snapped.

Ruby stared at her before walking into the room and sitting down on the floor as well.

"I helped Sam save himself. He was on his way to getting himself killed when I found him." she argued.

"What about before that? I know you knew Dean and Sam before he went to hell. What happened there?"

Ruby looked confused.

"They haven't told you about how Dean went to hell?" she asked.

Elena regretted admitting it to her for a moment but she found herself shaking her head. A slow smile formed across the demon's face as she began talking. Elena hated it but she found herself hanging onto every word, desperate for information about the brothers.

* * *

"Sam?" Dean cut his brother off from telling him about the first time him and Ruby had sex.

"Yeah?"

"Too much information." He said simply.

"Hey, I told you I was coming clean." Sam shrugged, looking unbothered.

"Yeah, but now I feel dirty. Okay, well, uh, brain-stabbing imagery aside... so far, all you've told me about is a manipulative bitch who, uh, screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad." Dean said.

"Yeah, well, there's more to the story." Sam said.

"Just... skip the nudity, please." Dean requested.

"Pretty soon after... that, um... I put together some signs... omens." He informed him.

"Saying what?" Dean asked.

"Lilith was in town. And I wanted to strike her first."

* * *

_**Five Months Earlier**_

"_You're not ready yet." Ruby argued._

"_It's now or never." Sam said, getting himself ready._

_He stuck the knife into his jacket before grabbing a shotgun._

"_No, we got to wait until you get it right. You haven't been too successful." She said._

"_All right, I'll use this." he said, pulling the knife out again._

"_Stop." Ruby said, shaking her head. "You can't just fly in there reckless, Sam. We need you to take the bitch out."_

"_Oh, I'll take her out all right." Sam promised._

"_You get one shot, and you're it. You're the only one who can do it, Sam." she tried to convince him. " So if she kills you first..."_

"_What?" Sam snapped._

_Ruby stared at him for a moment before realization dawned on her._

"_You don't want to survive this."_

"_Come on." he scoffed._

"_It's a kamikaze attack. You want to die fighting Lilith." Ruby nodded._

"_That's stupid." Sam said._

"_No, it's the truth, because if you kill her and you survive this, then you have to go on without your brother!" She yelled, advancing on him. "This isn't what Dean would've wanted. This isn't what he died for."_

_Sam shoved her into the wall, the knife at her throat._

"_Sam, this is suicide!"_

_He glared at her before pulling away and walking out. When he arrived at the house, he immediately saw a little girl sitting at a table full of candy and cake. He walked to it slowly, sneaking in with Ruby's knife at the ready._

"_Please, I want to go home." the little girl whimpered, turning her head to look at Sam pleadingly._

_Suddenly two demons attacked him from behind, knocking the knife away from him. They slammed him across the table and the girl screamed._

"_Lilith sends her regrets. She couldn't make it." One of the demons growled._

_Suddenly he choked and flashed, Ruby's face appearing over his shoulder._

"_Take the girl and run!"_

_Sam grabbed the little girl and ran out with her, taking her to the front yard. The demon beat up Ruby, causing her to lose the knife. When he ran back in, he was speaking to her._

"_Ruby, you're in so much trouble. When we get you down in the basement… the things we're gonna do to you." he threatened._

_Sam raised his hand, glaring at the demon. It didn't take long before he was exorcised and the meatsuit was collapsing to the ground. Sam fell to his knees with a groan._

"_Sam." Ruby questioned, sitting up and wiping blood from her mouth._

"_I'm okay. Thanks." He sighed, looking stunned._

* * *

"Ruby came back for me. Whatever you have to say, she saved me. More than that, she got through to me. What she said to me... it's what you would've said. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here." Sam said, finishing his story.

Dean considered his words in silence for a few minutes. The sound of a knock pulled him out of his mind.

"Housekeeping." The maid called.

"Not now!" he called over his shoulder.

"Sir, I've got clean towels."

He sighed, standing to walk to the door. She walked inside, placing them on the bed.

"Couldn't you just leave 'em at the door?" Dean asked.

"We're at this address." The maid said, handing Sam a piece of paper.

"I'm sorry. What?" Sam said.

"Go now. Go through the bathroom window, don't stop, don't take your car, don't pass go. There are demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

"Ruby?" Sam realized, surprised.

"Okay, yes, so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me." she said, throwing her hands in the air.

"What about…"

"Coma girl? Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I've got to hurry back before your wonderful guardian burns it. See you when you get there. Go!"

* * *

Elena and Anna watched warily as the smoke poured back into Ruby's mouth. When she sat up, she glanced at them.

"They're coming. Should we continue the story?"

"I think I've heard enough." Elena said, not wanting to hear the gruesome recap of Dean being ripped apart by hellhounds.

Ruby had only heard it from Lilith since she wasn't there but she was eager to recount it. They remained silent, waiting with anticipation. When a knock sounded, Ruby jumped up to open the door. Sam and Dean rushed in, both looking worse for wear. Elena gasped at their appearance but knew that she couldn't do anything in the present company.

"Glad you could make it." Ruby said.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam nodded, before facing them. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. These two are great. Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life."

"Yeah, I hear she does that. I guess I... you know…" Dean stammered.

"What?" Ruby said, staring at him.

"I guess I owe you for... Sam. And I just wanted... you know..."

"Don't strain yourself." The demon said.

"Okay, then. Is the moment over?" Dean sighed.

Ruby nodded once as Elena narrowed her eyes between them.

"Good, cause that was awkward." Dean grumbled.

"Hey, Sam, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay?" Anna said, looking up at the younger brother. "They must be completely freaked."

"Uh..." Sam said hesitantly.

Her smile faded a bit.

"What?" Anna said.

"Anna, um... your parents..." Elena began, moving to sit on the couch with her.

"What about them?" she demanded.

"Look, I'm sorry." Sam sighed.

She looked between them with panic.

"No, they're not..." Anna said, shaking her head.

"Anna, I'm sorry." Elena said, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Why is this happening to me?" she whimpered, putting her head in her hands.

"I don't know." Sam said.

Dean and Ruby were watching silently. Suddenly Anna's head snapped up and her eyes widened.

"They're coming."

"Back room." Dean said instantly as they began pulling out weapons.

Sam hid Anna in the back room before coming back. A wind picked up and howled as the foundation of the house shook.

"Where's the knife?" Ruby asked.

"Uh... about that..." Dean began.

Ruby and Elena both looked at them with disbelief.

"You're kidding." They said at the same time.

"Hey, don't look at me." he said, shaking his head.

"Thanks a lot." Sam snapped.

"Great. Just peachy. Impeccable timing, guys, really." Ruby growled as they faced the door.

Suddenly it began rattling violently and after several moments, it slammed open. They waited for what seemed like forever before two familiar beings walked through.

"Please tell me you're here to help." Dean sighed as they relaxed. "We've been having demon issues all day."

"Well, I can see that." Uriel said, glaring at Ruby as her eyes automatically flicked to black. "You want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

They all hesitated, exchanging looks.

"We're here for Anna." Castiel said, ignoring Uriel.

They all instantly realized that something was wrong with that statement.

"Here for her like... here for her?" Dean asked.

"Stop talking." Uriel snapped. "Give her to us."

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked as they pushed in closer together.

"No, she has to die."

* * *

**Let me know what you think! Elena and Dean's fighting really picks up in the next chapter so prepare for that.**

**Next: Dean gets closer to Anna as Elena withdraws from him more. They try to deal with the angels and the demons, both of whom are after Anna. When they find out what she is, everyone is surprised.**


	15. I Let You Get Back Under My Skin

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to beverlie4055, Dark Alana, RHatch89, xxPaige23xx, Nyssandria, Dean Winchester Rocks, blahblahblah93, TheElegantFaerie, JMHUW, and the two guests for reviewing and to everyone who is reading! I love you all!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Give Me Up Again – Jonny Lang**

**A few things:**

**1. Elena has a bit of a meltdown in this chapter. I know some of you may not like it. I wrote her this way on purpose. I know that sometimes we want the main characters to be perfect but that's not realistic. I hope that you don't hate it too much.**

**2. Don't worry, Dean/Anna isn't the pairing of this story and it never will be.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

"You want Anna? Why?" Sam demanded.

"Out of the way." Uriel said impatiently, moving forward to push through them.

Elena backed up, standing guard in front of the door. She pulled her gun out of her pants even though she knew it wouldn't do anything to the angels. It might slow them down long enough to get Anna out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean said, stopping Uriel. "Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle." The angel said, smirking at him.

"You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?" he snapped.

"As a matter of fact, we are." Castiel said in an emotionless voice. "And?"

Elena could hardly believe that this was the Cas she knew.

"And?" she said, staring at him in disbelief. "Anna's an innocent girl."

"She is far from innocent." Castiel said, staring back at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing." Uriel said, gesturing to Ruby. "Now give us the girl."

"Sorry. Get yourself another one. Try JDate." Dean said stubbornly.

"Who's gonna stop us? You two? Or this demon whore?" Uriel scoffed.

He reached out and grabbed Ruby, throwing her against the wall. Dean launched forward to attack him as Sam stepped in front of Castiel.

"Cas, stop... please." He pleaded.

Castiel reached out, touching Sam's forehead and knocking him out in the same way that he did Bobby back in the barn months before.

"I've been waiting for this." Uriel said, holding Dean against the wall in a chokehold.

Elena aimed her gun at Castiel as he walked towards her and the door.

"It won't do anything." He reminded her.

"It'll slow you down." Elena said simply, the need to protect Anna outweighing the friendship that she thought she had with the angel.

Before she did anything, a bright light engulfed the room. They all shielded their eyes until it went away. When it was gone, Uriel and Castiel were both gone.

"What the..." Dean said, helping Ruby to her feet.

Elena turned, slamming the door open. Anna was hunched in a chair in front of a mirror. Her wrists were slashed with a piece of sharp wood and she had drawn a sigil of sorts on the mirror in her blood.

"Anna. Anna!" Elena said, pulling her jacket off to press to her wrists.

"Are they… are they gone?" she asked weakly as Dean appeared in the doorway.

"Did you kill them?" he asked.

"No. I sent them away... far away." She breathed as Elena helped her to stand up.

"You want to tell me how?" Dean asked, reaching forward to help pull her out of the room.

Sam was sitting up, pressing a hand to his head as Ruby helped him.

"That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it. I just did it." Anna said, looking bewildered.

* * *

Elena and Ruby stood outside the door as Dean got Anna situated in the panic room.

"Iron walls drenched in salt. Demons can't even touch the joint." He reassured her.

"Which I find racist, by the way." Ruby piped up.

Elena smirked, looking away as Dean glared at her. Apparently not all was forgiven when it came to the demon.

"Write your congressman."

"Here." Ruby tossed Dean two small canvas bags before handing one to Elena.

"Hex bags?" he questioned.

"Extra-crunchy. They'll hide us from angels, demons, all comers." The demon said.

"Thanks, Ruby." Elena said, sticking hers in the jacket pocket.

Dean handed one to Anna.

"Don't lose this." he said, sitting in a chair close to the bed she was perched on. "So, Anna, what's playing on angel radio? Anything useful?"

"It's quiet. Dead silence." She answered.

"Good. That's not troubling at all." Dean nodded, glancing up at Elena and Ruby.

Anna quickly deciphered their expressions.

"We're in trouble, huh? You guys are scared?"

"Nah." Dean shrugged, trying to put an easy smile on his face.

"Hey, guys!"

Sam's voice rang out from upstairs.

"Just stay here, okay?" Dean said as he and Elena headed for the stairs.

He looked at Ruby.

"Keep an eye on her."

"How's the car?" Dean asked as Sam tossed him the keys to the Impala that he fetched from the motel.

"I got her. She's fine." Sam confirmed. "Where's Bobby?"

"Uh, The Dominican. He said we break anything, we buy it." Dean answered, leaning against the wall.

"He's working a job?"

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap." Dean said.

Elena and Sam both grimaced at the visual.

"Now that's seared in my brain." The younger brother said.

"All right, what did you find on Anna?" Dean questioned.

"Uh, not much. Her parents were, uh, Rich and Amy Milton… a church deacon and a housewife." Sam said, putting down a file.

"Riveting." Elena said sarcastically.

"Yeah. But there is something here in the report. Turns out this latest psych episode wasn't her first." Sam said, pointing to a paragraph. "When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close. She was convinced that he wasn't her real daddy."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm? A little snaking the pipes?"

Elena looked at him with a disgusted look as Sam gave him a bitchface.

"Dude, you're confusing reality with porn again." He said in a tired voice. "Look, Anna didn't say. She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. Very mad… like wanted-to-kill-her mad."

"Kind of heavy for a two-year-old." Dean commented.

"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal." Sam shrugged.

"Until now." Elena nodded.

"So, what's she hiding?" Dean wondered.

"Why don't you just ask me to my face?"

They all turned to see Anna standing there with Ruby next to her.

"Nice job watching her." Dean snapped at the demon.

"I'm watching her." Ruby shrugged as Elena fought back a laugh.

She still didn't like the demon but she could see why Sam got along with her so well. She was a good counter for Dean, who wasn't used to being snarked out so much outside of Sam and Elena.

"No, you're right, Anna." Sam said. "Is there anything you want to tell us?"

"About what?" she asked.

"The angels said you were guilty of something. Why would they say that?" Elena questioned.

"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled." Anna said, sounding emotional and angry. "Why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."

"Okay. Then let's find out." Sam said simply.

"How?" Anna asked.

* * *

Elena sat outside the panic room with Ruby, both of them mindlessly playing a card game.

"When are you going to tell the brothers that you know?" the demon asked.

Elena glanced up at her before slapping down a card.

"I don't know." She answered.

Anna was watching them curiously but she remained silently as she sat on the cot with her knees pulled to her chest.

"You know Sam tried to do everything he could to get Dean out of his deal. Their last ditch effort was to kill Lilith but they did everything else. Dean knew he was going to die all along. He was preparing Sam for his death for an entire year but Sam still wouldn't see it."

Elena looked down, shaking her head.

"It's in the history of the Winchesters, selling their souls. Daddy did it for Dean, Dean did it for Sam, and Sam tried to do it in return for Dean. It makes you wonder… with how badly Lilith wanted Sam dead… why didn't they let him trade places with Dean?" Ruby commented.

"I'm assuming you know the answer to that." Elena said, her tone bored but her interest peaked.

"No, I don't." the demon said. "Dean never seemed all that important to them. They wanted him dead only because he was a hunter. But for some reason, Alastair was really keen on keeping him in the pit."

"Alastair?" she questioned.

"Big bad demon. You saw him at the church. He's someone no one wants to cross. He's not as powerful as Lilith but he's just as evil. Down in the pit, he's the big torturer. He gets off on it and he loves his pets. Dean was unlucky enough to get assigned to him. Let's just say that forty years was nothing compared to the eternity that other souls suffer." Ruby said, looking slightly sickened.

Elena remained silent, absorbing the information.

"I would have given him ten more years before Dean had a set of black eyes all his own."

Her head snapped up and her eyes widened.

"That's what they wanted to do? Make Dean a demon?" she demanded.

"That's what happens to everyone who's handpicked by Alastair, eventually. And the way Dean was going, he would have been his star pupil."

Elena stared at her with disgust.

"Dean would never have wanted that."

"It doesn't matter." Ruby said simply. "He was going to go there whether he liked it or not."

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Sam walked down the stairs and immediately noticed the tense atmosphere between Ruby and Elena.

"Everything all right?" he asked, glancing between them.

"Fine." They answered at the same time.

Anna shrugged when he looked up at her, unwilling to repeat what they'd been talking about. When they heard the front door open, they all looked up. Dean came down the stairs, leading the psychic.

"We're here!" he announced.

"Pamela, hey!" Sam said, grinning.

"Sam?" she said.

"It's me. It's Sam." he said, reaching out for her at the same time as she did for him.

"Sam, is that you?" she said as Anna walked out and stood between Elena and Ruby.

"I'm right here." He said, pulling her down the last step.

"Oh. Know how I can tell?" she grabbed Sam's ass and he jumped with wide eyes. "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing. Of course I know it's you, grumpy."

Pamela was grinning.

"Same way I know that's Elena, that's a demon, and that poor girl's Anna and that you've been eyeing my rack."

Sam stammered, his cheeks flushing.

"Don't sweat it, kiddo. I still got more senses than most." The psychic said, winking.

"Hey Pam." Elena said, grinning as she walked forward to hug her.

"I'm glad to know that you chose to stay with the boys. It was a good decision." Pamela said, smiling back at her.

When she moved past her, she reached towards the redhead.

"Hey, Anna. How are you? I'm Pamela."

"Hi." Anna answered, stepping forward as well.

"Dean told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help." Pamela said, nodding.

"Oh. That's nice of you."

"Oh, well, not really. Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it." the psychic said, bitterness evident in her tone.

"Why?" Anna questioned.

"They stole something from me." Pamela said, taking off her sunglasses to reveal white plastic orbs in her sockets. "Demon-y, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra-psychic, don't you think?"

Pamela let out a laugh as she threw her arm over Anna's, leading her into the panic room.

"Now... how about you tell me what your deal is? Hmm? Don't you worry."

* * *

They all gathered around as Anna laid on the cot and Pamela sat next to her.

"Nice and relaxed. Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay?" Pamela said in a hypnotic voice. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you." Anna said in a monotone voice.

"Now, Anna, tell me... how can you hear the angels?" the psychic asked. "How did you work that spell?"

"I don't know. I just did."

"Your father... what's his name?" Pamela said.

"Rich Milton." She answered.

Elena stood next to Sam and Ruby as Dean stood a little closer to Anna and Pamela. She was watching the older Winchester, not missing the worried look in his eyes and the hovering that he did over Anna. Her chest panged and she shook her head slightly, taking a deep breath. Sam looked at her with sympathy, as if he knew what she was thinking. Elena shot him a scowl before turning away, not wanting to be pitied for any reason.

"All right. But I want you to look further back. When you were very young... just a couple of years old." Pamela instructed Anna.

"I don't want to." She suddenly whimpered, tossing her head to the side.

"It'll be okay. Anna, just one look… that's all we need." Pamela encouraged her.

"No."

"What's your dad's name? Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?" Pamela pushed.

"No. No! No." Anna cried, thrashing around. "No!"

"Calm down." Pamela said, jumping to her feet.

They all looked on in shock, Dean torn between remaining where he was and darting forward to help.

"He's gonna kill me!" Anna screamed.

"Anna, you're safe." Pamela reassured her.

"No!"

The lights began shattering above them and Elena ducked, her eyes wide as she slowly put the pieces together.

"Calm down. It's all right, Anna."

"Anna?" Dean said, running towards her as she bucked and thrashed on the cot.

"Dean, don't." Pamela warned.

As soon as he touched her, he was thrown across the room. Sam ran to help him up as Elena pushed Ruby backwards automatically.

"Wake in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5." Pamela said.

Anna's eyes popped open.

"Anna... Anna?"

She sat up slowly, turning to look at them with a slightly dazed look.

"You all right?" Pamela asked warily.

"Thank you, Pamela. That helps a lot. I remember now." Anna said in a breathy voice.

"Remember what?" Sam asked, frowning.

"Who I am." She answered.

"I'll bite. Who are you?" Dean said.

"An angel." Elena and Anna said at the same time.

Their eyes met and the redhead nodded, looking at her with concern and understanding all at once.

* * *

They were all gathered in the study. Elena, Ruby, and Pamela were leaning against the desk. Sam and Dean were standing nearby as Anna paced by the doorway.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not like the others." She assured them.

"I don't find that very reassuring." Ruby said.

"Neither do I." Pamela agreed.

"So...Castiel, Uriel… they're the ones that came for me?" Anna questioned, glancing at them.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole." She sighed, stopping her movements.

"So, what, were they like your bosses or something?" Dean said.

"Try the other way around." Anna corrected him.

He smiled slightly, a glint in his eye.

"Look at you." Dean said, slightly proud of her.

Elena fought the urge to glare between them.

"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked.

"Orders are orders. I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head." Anna nodded.

"Why?"

"I disobeyed... which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do. I fell." She explained.

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"She fell to earth, became human." Elena said, not entirely certain how she knew what that meant.

Anna nodded once.

"Wait a minute. I don't understand. So, angels can just become human?" Sam asked.

"It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt." They all shuddered at the thought. "I ripped out my grace."

"Come again?" Dean said.

"My grace. It's... energy. Hacked it out and fell." Anna said. "My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant. Always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" he questioned.

"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah." She confirmed.

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are." Ruby said, sounding slightly afraid.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead." Anna nodded.

"And Hell just wants her. A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds." The demon looked her up and down. "Sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."

"I know. And that's why I'm gonna get it back." Anna decided.

"What?" Elena asked, finally speaking up.

"My grace."

"You can do that?" Dean asked.

"If I can find it." Anna shrugged.

"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and, shazam, you're Roma Downey?"

"Something like that." she said.

"All right. I like this plan. So, where's this grace of yours?" Dean questioned.

Anna shook her head, looking clueless.

"Lost track. I was falling about ten thousand miles per hour at the time." she said.

"Wait. You mean falling, like, literally?" Sam asked, perking up.

"Yes."

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe, or a meteor?" he said hopefully as they all looked at him.

"Why do you ask?" she said, tilting her head to the side in a familiar motion.

* * *

Sam and Elena were surrounded by books and magazines as they searched for anything that could help them. Ruby was watching them from her perch on the couch.

"Here. In march '85, a meteorite vanished in the night sky over northwestern Ohio." Sam said, showing it to Elena. "It was sighted nine months before Anna was born, and she was born in that part of Ohio."

"You're pretty buff for a nerd." Ruby commented.

Elena laughed at the look on Sam's face.

"Look, I think it was Anna and here, same time… another meteor over Kentucky." He said, pointing to another old article.

"And that's her grace?" Elena nodded.

"Might be." Sam said.

"All right. That just narrows it down to an entire state." Ruby said, rolling her eyes.

"Look, it's a start."

They all remained silent, Elena and Sam doing more research while Ruby said with a conflicted look.

"Listen... I'm sorry."

They both glanced up at the demon with surprise.

"For what?" Sam asked.

"For bringing you this mess. If I had known, I would have kept my trap shut." She said, looking away.

"Yeah, well, we'll muddle through." Sam shrugged.

"Not this time. You do not want to get between these two armies. It's Godzilla and Mothra. If one side doesn't get us, the other one will." Ruby said.

Elena stared at her, the words sparking something in he rmind.

"So, what do you want to do? Dump Anna and run? Forget it. Look, I know the angels freak you out." Sam sighed.

"Forget the angels. It's Alastair I'm scared of."

Her eyes flashed to Elena and she understood.

"Alastair?" Sam questioned.

"You met him in the church. Practically the grand inquisitor downstairs. Picasso with a razor." Ruby said.

"And?"

"And you should pull him out and throw him back in the pit... if you weren't so out of shape."

"Ruby..." Sam sighed as Elena narrowed her eyes.

Part of her wanted to tell Ruby that Sam was never going to use the abilities again. The other part of her wanted Sam to take Alastair out before he got to Dean again.

"No, your abilities… you're getting flabby." Ruby argued, not caring about talking about it in front of Elena.

"They're really not." Elena said, glancing between them.

"What?" the demon said.

Elena looked at Sam and he stared at her, his eyes wide.

"He took out Samhain." She said.

Ruby sat up straight, looking at Sam with shock on her face.

"Samhain? Sam that's huge." She breathed. "You could take out Alastair if you tone up."

"No, I'm not doing that anymore." he refused.

"Why not?" Ruby demanded.

"It's dangerous. He was bleeding from his nose. Whatever the hell you're making him do could kill…"

Elena cut off when another person stepped into the doorway. Her blood ran cold as Dean glared between them. They thought that he was gone, taking Pamela home.

"I thought you took him out with the knife." He growled.

"Dean…" Sam sighed, standing up.

He shot him a glare that made him cut off.

"I know why he kept it from me but how the hell did you justify doing that?" Dean demanded.

Elena got to her feet, feeling shame rushing through her. More than that, she felt anger.

"Sam asked me to keep something to myself and I did. I'm sure you can sympathize." She fired back.

"This wasn't something you should have kept to yourself! This is my little brother's life!" Dean roared.

"Yeah and if I recall correctly, I was on hand to make sure he was alive!" Elena yelled. "Remember that healing thing I can do that you think is so unnatural and dangerous? Well that might be what kept him from having a fucking aneurism!"

Dean's face was red as he glowered at her.

"You had no right…"

"I had every right! Do you think I would have kept it to myself if I didn't know that Sam was going to tell you eventually? He needs his damn time, Dean! Can you really not think of why he wanted to put it off? Can you really not see the reasoning behind it? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you're yelling your head off right now?"

"Oh so this is my fault?" he demanded. "It's my fault everyone is keeping things from me? It's my fault I'm being kept in the dark because people don't want to tell me shit?"

Elena glared at him before shoving him backwards. They watched as she charged past him, running up the stairs with angry tears running down her cheeks. Anna hovered nearby, her eyes wide at their confrontation.

"Dean…" Sam began.

"I don't want to hear it." he snapped, turning to stomp out off the house with a beer in his hand.

* * *

Sam stepped outside hesitantly.

"Hey."

"Did you find something?" his brother said in a sour voice, taking a swig of the beer.

"I think so."

Dean followed him back inside and they all gathered around the desk of the study, except for Elena who was still upstairs.

"Union, Kentucky. Found some accounts of a local miracle." Sam explained, pointing to an article. "In '85, there was an empty field outside of town. Six months later, there was a full-grown oak. They say it looks a century old at least."

"Anna, what do you think?" Dean asked, glancing at her.

"The grace. Where it hit, it could have done something like that, easy." She nodded.

"So grace ground zero… it's not destruction. It's..."

"Pure creation." Anna finished for Dean.

"Let's go." he decided.

They all watched as he turned to leave.

"What about Elena?" Sam said.

Dean turned back, glancing at the stairs.

"We don't need five of us on this thing, Sam. She can stay, hold down the fort."

They all stared after him with wide eyes.

"Great. Who gets to tell her that?" Sam said bitterly.

Anna and Ruby both looked at him and he sighed. When he reached the door to her room, he knocked on it hesitantly. Moments later, Elena opened it. Her eyes were rimmed with red and the remnants of tears showed on her cheeks.

"What?" she said hoarsely.

"I just… I'm sorry about this." Sam said first.

"It's not all your fault. We were fighting before Samhain." Elena said, shaking her head as she turned back to walk into the room.

Sam nodded, still feeling guilty for coming between them.

"We think we found Anna's grace." He said.

"Good." Elena said. "Are we going to get it?"

"Well… we are." Sam said carefully.

Her eyes flashed to his and it only took her moments to realize what he was saying.

"Elena…" he began.

She didn't give him a chance to speak, blowing past him with a furious expression. He ran downstairs after her. When she appeared in the living room, both Ruby and Anna pointed outside where Dean was getting the Impala ready. When Elena stomped out, they all followed, peering out of the door as she ran up to him and shoved him backwards.

"What the hell?" Dean demanded.

"Fuck you!" Elena screamed. "If you want to bench me, you tell me to my face. Don't send your brother up to do it."

"Fine. I want you to stay behind. I can't have people coming who I can't trust to tell me the truth." Dean snapped back.

"Trust? Oh so you can trust a damn demon over me?" Elena demanded.

"Yeah!" Dean nodded, not realizing that he said it until it came out.

Elena stared at him with wide eyes before shoving him again, fury exuding from her.

"Fine!" she yelled. "Do you want to know about my life, Dean? Do you want to know everything I know? Here's a fucking summary. I was marked for death before I was even born. The first sixteen years of my life were pretty normal until my parents died. When a vampire came along when he heard the crash, my father refused to let him save them, instead telling him to save me. They sacrificed themselves for me. There's the first two people who died because of me, you might as well start keeping count. Then a few months later I meet an amazing guy with an asshole for a brother.

People start getting killed in my town and I find out that my wonderful boyfriend and his brother are vampires. Not only that, his brother is the one killing people. Damon ends up turning my brother's girlfriend into a vampire and has to kill her when she tries to kill me and Jeremy. There's number three. Oh but then it turns out that my boyfriend and his brother were turned by a vampire who looks just like me and also, I'm adopted. So as I search for answers, I find out that my biological parents abandoned me. Luckily they gave me to my father's brother and his wife instead of leaving me in the toilet of a convenience store. My real father turns out to be my uncle, a man who wants to kill every vampire in existence, including my boyfriend and his brother, who is turning out to be less of a dick.

In case you think it all ends there, oh no. My doppelganger comes into town and tries to kill my biological father. She starts to wreak havoc and ends up turning my best friend, you remember Caroline, into a vampire. Yes, my best friend is a fucking vampire because of me. There's number four. But Katherine isn't there just to make my life hell. Nope she wants to give me over to a psychotic thousand-year-old vampire to be sacrificed in a ritual to break a curse that was put on him by his own mother. Enter my biological mother, a vampire now, who is used by Klaus to get me a message before killing herself on his compulsion. There's number five. It doesn't end there. Klaus comes to town and gets his sights set on Stefan.

But not before he does the ritual. Oh no. And guess who he uses in the ritual? That's right, my aunt. He needs a werewolf and a vampire. So he turns my aunt into a vampire and then stakes her right in front of me before ripping her heart out of her chest. There's number fucking six. That's when Klaus takes Stefan out of town for some fun. He only found Stefan because of me. So when he compels Stefan to start killing people, that's on me. I don't even know how many people are dead because of me.

Enter the nightmares and the hunters and the angels. Suddenly I'm told that I'm supposed to be some sort of guardian for two guys in the oncoming apocalypse. I'm thrown into abilities that I never fucking wanted. Yeah, I can heal. Yeah, I am freakishly strong. I don't know what the hell else I can do and I don't know what the hell I am. I'm terrified. I'm lonely. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone around me including myself and I'm getting yelled at for it. I am so terribly sorry that not everyone can live up to your high expectations, Dean Winchester. Remind me never to try again."

They all stared at her with wide eyes. Dean looked ashamed. Elena was breathing heavily, glaring at him with a force that would have killed him if it could.

"I…" he cut off, looking away from her. "You can come. I shouldn't have tried to leave you behind."

Elena scoffed, shaking her head with a look of disbelief.

"After all of that, you think that's the problem here?" Elena demanded.

She stepped back, throwing her hands in the air.

"Have fun on your scavenger hunt. I'd rather not be anywhere near you right now."

The others scattered as she stomped back inside, slamming the door shut behind them. Elena paced back and forth, shaking her head and trying to calm herself. She couldn't believe that she blew up like that. When she heard the Impala drive off, she took a deep breath, glancing around. The house was a mess, as always. She suddenly thought of something that could keep her busy and distracted. She put on loose clothing and pulled her hair up, grabbing whatever cleaning supplies she could find and her computer. Minutes later, Elena was cleaning Bobby's house thoroughly, organizing the books in the shelves by subject and ensuring that everything was perfectly in order.

She moved through it quickly, relieved that she was able to forget about everything for a few minutes. When she was done, she looked around with a bewildered expression. The house was hardly recognizable with all of the dust cleared away, the alcohol bottles thrown out, and books where they were actually meant to be. When she glanced outside, she saw that it was getting dark. Elena couldn't see herself going to sleep, instead grabbing a book and sitting down to read it. One book became two and three. Soon she was absorbing all of the information that she could, not able to understand how she was keeping track of it all but not complaining either.

* * *

"We still got the hex bags. I say we head back to the panic room." Dean said as they walked up to the door of the house.

The trip to get Anna's grace was a bust. It was already gone.

"What, forever?" Ruby snapped.

"I'm just thinking out loud!" Dean fired back.

"Oh, you call that thinking?" she said.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey. Stop it." Sam said, cutting them off from fighting anymore.

They'd been doing it on the whole trip.

"Anna's grace is gone. You understand? She can't angel up." Ruby said, pointing at the fallen angel. "She can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven and Hell. One side maybe, but not both. Not at once."

"Um... guys?" Anna said, standing beside the Impala. "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying?" a new voice asked.

Elena was standing beside the door, a book in her hands. They all looked at her with surprise, not expecting her to still be awake. Dean looked at her before glancing away, almost unable to keep her gaze when he felt how he did. Shame, hurt, and anger were still filling him.

"It's weird... like a recording... a loop." Anna said in a distant voice. "It says, Dean Winchester gives us Anna by midnight, or..."

She cut off, her eyes wide.

"Or what?" Dean aske.d

"...or we hurl him back to damnation."

Elena dropped her book with shock as the others exchanged looks. Dean looked up to see her staring fearfully back at him. With that one threat, she put aside her anger and stepped off of the porch.

"Anna… do you know of any weapon that works on an angel?" Sam asked.

"To what? To kill them?" she asked.

Sam nodded as Elena stared at him with horror. Would they really dare to kill an angel? With the looks on their faces, she knew that they would. They were hunters before anything else.

"Nothing we could get to... not right now." Anna shook her head.

"Okay, wait, wait. I say we call Bobby. We get him back from hedonism." Dean suggested.

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam demanded.

"I don't know, but we got to think of something!" Dean yelled.

Elena's eyes met Ruby's and she tilted her head to the side, sending her a clear, wordless message. The demon understood, nodding her head once.

* * *

They were both in the dark barn, Ruby pacing back and forth as Elena sat still.

"Are you sure about this?" the demon asked.

"No." Elena said, shaking her head.

"But you're willing to risk all of our necks on it?"

"I've been reading since you left and it makes sense. It should work." Elena said.

"That's comforting." Ruby scoffed.

Elena glared at her.

"Do you want to help or not?" she demanded.

Ruby stopped, turning to look at her.

"You trust me to help?"

Elena hesitated.

"I don't trust you even a little but… but Sam does. I'm taking it on faith that you won't betray us." She said.

"You're also willing to kill me if I do." Ruby nodded.

"Definitely." Elena agreed.

The demon smiled slightly, looking her up and down.

"I respect you." she said simply.

Elena wasn't sure how to respond, standing up from the wooden crate she was sitting on.

"Just get ready." She said, turning to walk out.

When she walked towards the house, Elena stopped short when she saw Dean and Anna beside the Impala. They were close together, speaking in low voices that were just loud enough for her to hear.

"I got to tell you something. You're not gonna like it." Anna said, looking up into his eyes.

"Okay. what?" he asked warily.

Elena watched with dread filling her. Somehow she knew what she was about to see but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"About a week ago, I heard the angels talking... about you... what you did in Hell."

His eyes widened and he stepped away.

"Dean, I know. It wasn't your fault. You should forgive yourself." Anna said, lifting her hand to touch his cheek.

"Anna, I don't w-want to, uh... I don't want to... I can't talk about that." he stammered out, sounding terrified.

"I know. But when you can, you have people that want to help. You are not alone. That's all I'm trying to say." Anna said, moving in closer.

Their lips melded together and they remained like that for several moments. Elena backed away, shaking her head as tears blurred her vision. She turned to run, not able to see anymore. Just as she did, Dean pulled away and shook his head, separating them.

"Anna, I-I can't." he said sadly.

She looked up at him with confusion.

"Elena." Dean said, not fully understanding why her name escaped from his mouth.

Suddenly, a smile formed on Anna's face and she nodded.

"Exactly, you idiot." She said, hitting his arm lightly. "Elena. She's there for you. You're alone and she cares about you. So stop flirting with me and go after her. I can't believe it took me kissing you for you to see that."

Dean stared at her with wide eyes before they heard the front door slam open. They both turned at one, a flash of Elena's tear-stained face filling their vision before she disappeared inside.

"Dammit." Dean cursed, breaking into a run with Anna right behind him.

Ruby watched from the shadows as they disappeared before running off.

When Dean and Anna crashed through the door, Sam looked up at them with wide eyes.

"What the hell?" he said, pointing at the stairs where Elena just ran up.

He looked between their guilty faces and suddenly he understood.

"It's not what it looked like." Dean said quickly.

"It really wasn't." Anna nodded.

"Fix it." Sam snapped.

Dean hauled up the stairs and began banging on her door. Moments later, Elena ripped it open with a devastated and angry look.

"Elena please…" he stopped, catching sight of the mess of her room.

Her bags were on the bed, clothes tossed in them.

"Are you leaving?"

She glared at him, fighting the urge to slam the door in his face.

"What just happened, you don't understand. It's not what it looked like." he said.

"Oh so I didn't see you kissing Anna? Is this something you just do? Go around kissing girls with a tragic backstory? I can give you a few recommendations if you like."

"It's not like that." Dean said, shaking his head. "Please don't leave."

"Give me one reason." Elena countered.

"Because we need you!" he said desperately.

Surprise broke through her fury and hurt for just a moment.

"I need you, please. We can't do this without you, any of it."

Elena stared at him warily, slowly calming down.

"I won't leave." She finally said. "For now."

Dean relaxed, looking at her with relief.

"I need a shower." She said.

Dean nodded, backing away from the door. He watched her as she closed it, one tear sliding down her cheek before she did so. He sighed, turning away as he scraped his hands down on his face. Dean paced the hallway for several minutes, listening to the water running from the bathroom. When he finally walked downstairs, Anna and Sam looked at him.

"She's not leaving for now." He said.

"For now?" Sam repeated.

"I did the best I could, Sam. You're not entirely innocent on this one either. You asked her to keep this shit from me."

He nodded.

"You're right." he said, standing up and handing Dean a beer. "I guess we both need to start doing better by her."

Dean nodded.

"And I need to start doing better by you."

They looked to see Elena standing there. Anna straightened up and opened her mouth.

"Don't." she said, shaking her head. "We have more important things to focus on."

* * *

Ruby turned around at the crossroads, feeling the demon appear.

"Hello, Ruby."

She looked around at him, nodding.

"Alastair."

"I have to say, I'm surprised to find you out in the open like this." he said, smiling at her.

It sent a chill down her spine.

"Yeah? Desperate times." Ruby replied.

"That they are. You looking for this?" he lifted up the familiar dagger. "Your gawky human friend gave it to me."

"Keep it. I just came to talk." She said.

"About what? About how a demon is protecting an angel?" Alastair said, looking at her with a scolding look. "We really must revoke your membership."

"Look, I know I'm not employee of the month, but this… I never wanted to get in the middle of this." she said, sounding afraid.

"Why are you here, Ruby?" Alastair demanded.

"I'll give you the angel." She offered.

"Will you? And in return?"

"I walk away. Me, the guardian, and the Winchester boys, both of them. This angel business is none of our business." Ruby said, lifting her chin.

"Hmm. You know... I'd always heard that you were a devious, cowardly little slut." Alastair said, considering her words. "You don't disappoint."

"So, what do you say?" Ruby said, ignoring the insult.

"It's interesting... prudent." He commented.

Two demons suddenly appeared and grabbed her from behind as she struggled.

"But, uh... let me make you a... counteroffer."

* * *

_Dean glanced around the bar, the shotgun ready in his hands._

_"Look at that. It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes."_

_He whirled around to see Uriel there, a smirk fixed on his face._

_"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he asked warily._

_"It's the only way we could chat... since you're hiding like cowards." The angel said, narrowing his eyes._

_:Don't normally see you off leash. Where's your boss?" Dean said, glaring him down._

_"Castiel? Oh, he, uh..." Uriel glanced up. "… he's not here. See, he has this weakness. He likes you."_

_Dean squinted at him, wondering why he said that._

_"Time's up, boy. We want the girl."_

_"Wouldn't try that if I were you. See, she got her grace back. Full-blown angel now." Dean warned him._

_"That would be a neat trick, considering..." Uriel took out a necklace, holding it up. "...I have her grace right here. We can't let Hell get their hooks into her."_

_"Well, then why don't you just give her back her angel juice?" he said._

_Uriel shook his head, not falling for it._

_"She committed a serious crime."_

_"What? Thinking for herself?" Dean demanded._

_"This is our business, not yours. She's not even human... not technically." Uriel said._

_"Yeah, well, I guess I just like being a pain in the pooper." He shrugged._

_"It's your last chance. Give us the girl, or…"_

_"Or what?" Dean cut him off. "What, you're gonna toss me back in the hole? You're bluffing."_

_"Try me. This is a whole lot bigger than the plans we got for you, Dean. You can be replaced." Uriel said simply._

_"What the hell? Go ahead and do it." Dean said, glaring him down._

_Uriel paused for a moment before letting out a humorless laugh._

_"You're just crazy enough to go, aren't you?" the angel said._

_"What can I say? I don't break easy." Dean said._

_"Oh, yes... you do. You just got to know where to apply the right pressure."_

* * *

Dean looked stressed, pacing the barn.

"I don't know, man. Where's Ruby?" Sam sighed.

"Hey, she's your Hell buddy." Dean said.

Dean pulled out a flask, drinking from it.

"Little early for that, isn't it?" Anna asked.

"It's 2 a.m. somewhere." He shrugged.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Dean nodded, avoiding her eyes.

The doors suddenly slammed open with a blast. Castiel and Uriel entered as the three jumped up. Sam and Anna looked panicked and Dean looked resigned.

"Hello, Anna. It's good to see you." Castiel said, nodding at his former boss.

"How? How did you find us?" Sam demanded.

Castiel's eyes flickered to the older Winchester and they both looked at him with shock.

"Dean?" Sam whispered.

"I'm sorry." He said in a tortured voice, looking at Anna.

She gave him an understanding look but Sam didn't get it so easily.

"Why?" he said.

"Because they gave him a choice. They either kill me... or kill you." Anna said, glaring at the angels. "I know how their minds work."

Anna looked back at Dean.

"You did the best you could. I forgive you." she murmured, kissing his cheek.

"Okay. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

Someone else suddenly walked through the door, blood dripping from her hand as she faced them.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." Elena said as Castiel and Uriel looked back at her.

She slammed the door closed and they saw the sigil drawn in blood. Elena's hand hovered over it, causing them to stare at her with wide eyes.

"We'll blast her to pieces before you touch it." Uriel threatened.

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head."

They all whirled around to see Alastair and two other demons who were holding Ruby up. She was bleeding from her stomach, looking pale and deathly. Dean grabbed Anna and they ran around the angels to stand beside Elena.

"How dare you come in this room... you pussing sore?" Uriel growled.

"Name-calling. That hurt my feelings... you sanctimonious, fanatical prick." Alastair shot back.

"Turn around and walk away now." Castiel warned.

Elena pushed the boys and Anna behind her, bending down to pick up an abandoned crowbar.

"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper." The demon offered.

"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again." Cas said, glaring at him. "Leave now... or we lay you to waste."

Think I'll take my chances." Alastair said.

The angels and demons suddenly were fighting. Uriel took out the first one easily as Castiel flew at Alastair. He pressed his palm against the demon's forehead but nothing happened.

"Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?" Alastair growled, knocking him backwards.

Castiel fell onto his back and didn't have time to recover before the demon was on top of him. Anna darted forward as Uriel fought with a demon.

"Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferma, me confirma!" Alastair chanted, holding Castiel by the throat.

Elena ran up, slamming a crowbar over his head. He staggered backwards and Dean ran around her, throwing a punch at his face.

"Dean, Dean, Dean... I am so disappointed." Alastair sighed. "You had such promise."

Elena turned to Castiel and he stared up at her, not certain whether she would hit him with the crowbar or not. She gave him her hand, pulling him up to stand.

"We need to talk." She hissed, turning to where Alastair was holding Dean against a wooden pillar.

Anna reached towards Uriel as he bent down, snatching her grace from around his throat.

"No!" he yelled.

She threw it down, breaking the pendent open. White light flowed into her mouth. Elena seized the back of Alastair's shirt, throwing him towards Anna and holding Dean up as they stared at her.

"Shut your eyes. Shut your eyes!" she repeated, her body pulsing with the bright light. "Shut your eyes!"

They all dropped to the ground and threw their arms over their eyes, waiting until the roaring in their ears disappeared. When it was over, they looked up to see Anna was gone as well as Alastair. Dean moved forward, picking the demon-killing knife up off of the ground. Sam helped Ruby up as they faced off with Castiel and Uriel.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Dean said, glaring at them. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

Uriel looked like he would attack them but Castiel stopped him.

"This isn't over." He threatened.

"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless." Dean said.

They disappeared as Sam and Ruby staggered towards them.

"You okay?" Sam asked the demon.

"Not so much." Ruby sighed, clutching at her stomach.

"What took you so long to get here?" Elena asked.

"Sorry I'm late with the demon delivery. I was only being tortured." She shot back.

"I got to hand it to you. Bringing them all together all at once… angels and demons. It was a damn good plan." Dean commented, glancing around.

"Yeah, well, when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight." Elena said, looking at Ruby with a nod.

Dean glanced at her, immediately noticing that she refused to look back.

"So, I guess she's some big-time angel now, huh?" Sam said, glancing up. "She must be happy... wherever she is."

"I doubt it." Dean said, looking down at his hands.

* * *

Elena sat on the bed, her bags scattered around the room once more. Her trenchcoat was discarded and she was reading out of a book once more. Dean knocked on the door and she glanced up, nodding at him.

"Bobby's back." he said. "He likes the look of the place. I don't think it's been this clean since the seventies."

Elena smiled slightly, putting her book to the side as she sat up.

"We won this one." She said when she saw the sadness in his eyes. "Anna is alive because of us… because of you."

Dean shook his head.

"That's not why I'm…" he cut off, sitting on the bed.

Elena understood at once.

"You know how I feel." She murmured, looking down at her hands.

"I do." Dean nodded. "And I feel…"

Elena shook her head, putting her finger against his lips to cut him off.

"Stop. I'm not… I feel shame too, Dean." She said. "I was unfair to you. I shouldn't have shut you out the way that I did and I shouldn't have lied to you about your brother."

She moved in closer to him.

"Ruby told me things that I shouldn't have let her tell me. I know all about how you went to hell and I'm sorry for that. I should have waited for you to tell me. I should have let you come to me in your own time. I have been so foolish and stubborn."

Elena hesitated, taking her finger away to allow him to talk once more. Dean looked at her with shame as well.

"The demon that possessed you, it told us more than I said. I know about the sacrifice and the ritual. I knew about it before you ever told me. I know that you think you got everyone in your life killed and I know that you think that the people in Mystic Falls are better off without you there." he said.

Elena felt her eyes burning as a lump formed in her throat.

"I should have told you that I knew that too."

She took a shuddering breath, nodding.

"Sam and I got a case." Dean said, pulling away from her.

Elena sighed, looking at him.

"I-I need some time, Dean." She sighed. "I need a break and I need to think. Not just about you. I thought that I knew… I thought Castiel was a good guy. I thought he was on our side. He's… different. I need to think about where I stand with things before I can go out there and face it all again. I can't shove things aside as easily as you and I can't just… I can't."

Dean nodded, reaching out to take her hand. She allowed him to, looking up at him tearfully.

"Ever since I got back from hell, I haven't been able to shove things aside as easily. This stuff never used to keep me up at night. I never really had nightmares. Reality was enough of a nightmare itself. Now I have them every night and I…" he shook his head. "I have to keep saving people. It's the only thing that can keep me centered. The only thing other than…"

Elena let out a sigh as he looked up at her, clearly saying what he meant with his soulful green eyes. She hesitated before leaning in, pressing her lips to his forehead. Elena lingered, her hands sliding into his hair as his arms wrapped around her torso. She pulled away after several minutes of this embrace.

"Go save people." Elena said quietly, staring into his eyes. "I'll be here when you get back."

Dean nodded, pressing his lips together before pulling away. Elena watched as he walked out, swallowing her emotions. When she came downstairs, Bobby was in the kitchen watching the Impala pull away. When he turned to face her, he gave her a questioning look.

"You all right?"

Elena shook her head, her lip trembling.

"I'm not." She whimpered.

The hunter looked panicked for a moment before he walked to her hesitantly. Elena allowed herself to be gathered into an embrace and she began crying, burying her head in his shoulder.

* * *

**Okay so I got a little emotional in the last part. The thing with Dean and Elena isn't quite over yet but the worst has passed. They'll only be separated for a little part of the next chapter so don't be too panicky.**

**Next: Elena spends time with Bobby and helps him at the house. When three surprising people show up at the doorstep, she finds that she needed them more than she thought.**


	16. Raise Your Hopeful Voice

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to Nyssandria, taylena4ever, Dark Alana, KwC1994, Dean Winchester Rocks, Ojha, RHatch89, LineChokor, DrawingMyHeartOut, TheElegantFaerie, blahblahblah93, beverlie4055, JMHUW, and the guest for reviewing!**

**To DrawingMyHeartOut, thank you so much darling!**

**To TheElegantFaerie, it's not hard mostly. I am using a lot of the old chapters but I'm still changing stuff around. The only hard part is making sure that I keep continuity going with what I'm changing and what I'm keeping the same. **

**CHAPTER TITLE: Falling Slowly - Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti**

**A few things:**

**1. Elena and the brothers are going to be separated for about half of this chapter.**

**2. As I said before, there are three people that show up and surprise Elena.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena opened her eyes slowly, hardly willing to face the day without seeing Sam and Dean for the first time in months. She took a deep breath before letting out a groan and pulling the covers over her head. She lay there miserably for another thirty minutes before she heard a light knock on her door.

"Elena?" Bobby's voice was muffled by the door. "You coming out anytime soon?"

She considered it for a moment, pulling the covers off of her head.

"No." she decided, burying her face in the pillow.

The hunter didn't argue, not entirely certain of how to deal with this. When she heard him walk away, Elena huffed out another sigh and stared at the wall. No matter what she tried to do, her mind kept drifting back to Dean. When she thought of him, it wasn't pure anger like before. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, and hesitation. Part of her wondered what he and Sam were doing and the other part of her would rather not know because she was meant to be there with them. She heard her phone beeping on the bedside table but she refused to look at the texts. When she finally dragged herself out of bed a few hours later, she walked downstairs and straight into the kitchen.

Upon looking through the refrigerator and cabinets, Elena found hardly any food at all. Most of the stuff in there was for spells and protection. She walked into the study and Bobby glanced up at her, immediately noticing her crossed arms.

"What exactly do you eat?" she asked.

"Take out, usually." Bobby shrugged.

Elena rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

"I need a car." She said, holding out her hand.

Bobby handed over his keys without question.

"You escaping?" he asked.

"I'm worried for your health." Elena replied, picking up her purse and slipping her shoes on. "I'm going to the grocery store."

* * *

For the next two days, Elena took it upon herself to take care of Bobby. He didn't mind though he did grumble about it at first because he felt that he had to. She cooked every meal, helped him with research, and cleaned out the rest of the house in the spare time. Bobby knew exactly what she was doing and he didn't blame her. Getting her mind off of Dean and their fight wasn't easy. At the moment, Elena was downstairs in the basement organizing all of the weapons and extra storage that he kept down there. Bobby was munching on her homemade pizza when he heard a car pull up. He looked up with confusion. The boys weren't supposed to be back yet so he knew it wasn't them.

"Elena?" he called as he reached for his shotgun.

She came jogging up the stairs, her shirt sleeves pushed up to her elbows and her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail.

"Yeah?" Elena breathed, reaching for a bottle of water.

"You expecting someone?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head warily, putting down the bottle and reaching for a handgun. They walked towards the door slowly, raising the weapons. When Bobby reached out to open, Elena took a deep breath. She let out a gasp when she saw who was standing there.

"Elijah?" Elena asked, shocked.

He smiled at her, nodding.

"What are you doing here?" she said, stepping forward and lowering her gun.

Bobby squinted between them. He'd heard the stories and he knew that Elijah was the name of one of the Original vampires.

"I brought you a gift… well two gifts." Elijah said, stepping aside.

Elena let out a cry of shock and happiness when she saw Bonnie and Caroline. She set the gun on the counter before darting outside. They embraced all at once, laughing happily as they did so. Bobby lowered his weapon finally, still eyeing Elijah but trusting that Elena knew that he was not a danger.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed, pulling away to look at her best friends.

"We got a call from a gigantic bird who told us that you needed someone right now." Caroline said, beaming at her.

"Sam?" Elena guessed, a smile spreading across her face.

They nodded and she felt grateful towards the younger Winchester.

"I can't believe you guys came all this way. Elijah brought you?" she said, turning to look at him.

He nodded.

"I have business in Montana and I told these ladies that I would drop them off here on my way and pick them up when I come back." Elijah explained.

Elena smiled at him, nodding.

"Thank you." she said appreciatively.

"You are very welcome." He replied, something else in his eyes.

Elena glanced back at Bobby before looking at her friends.

"Can I talk to Elijah for a while? You guys can go inside if it's all right with Bobby." She said.

They all looked at the hunter. He knew very well that one of Elena's friend was a vampire and his eyes were flashing between Bonnie and Caroline. Elena knew that it would be difficult for him to invite something that wasn't human into his house so willingly.

"Come on in." he nodded finally.

She smiled at him, reaching out to hug him to show how grateful she was. Caroline and Bonnie walked inside, glancing back at them. Elena looked up at Elijah, gesturing out towards the junkyard.

"Let's walk."

Elijah fell into step with her as they began weaving through the maze of automobiles.

"How is Mystic Falls? Is everyone all right?" she asked, stopping at a car and sliding up onto the hood.

"Everything and everyone is fine, aside from the occasional outburst from the elder Salvatore." He answered.

Elena nodded with a sigh. It was to be expected, especially considering how she'd left it with Damon.

"How are things with you?"

She looked up at him and before she knew it, she was spilling everything about what happened since they left, leaving out her fight with Dean. Elijah listened as she told him all about the seal with Samhain and the fight to keep Anna safe from the angels.

"You are disappointed." Elijah acknowledged when she finished.

Elena shrugged, looking down at her hands.

"I thought they were good, you know? I mean, the one I know best, Castiel, he seemed so good. He didn't seem that different from anyone I knew here but when he came with the other angel, he changed." Elena admitted.

"You think very highly of people, Elena, and you become hurt when they do something to change your view of them. Perhaps you should just wait. You never know, this angel could come back and have a very good explanation for his actions."

She nodded, looking up at him.

"Yeah, I guess I'll just wait to ask him what's gong on."

Elijah nodded, glancing around.

"So where are those two brothers who seem so fond of you?" he asked, looking around.

"They're out on a hunt." She replied shortly.

Elijah looked over at her with a confused look.

"Do I sense animosity between you and those hunters?" he asked.

Elena looked up at him and felt the sudden urge to spill everything to him. Elijah and her had almost always been honest with each other and she wanted to continue that.

"Hunter. Just one of them." She said before launching into the story of everything that happened with Dean.

Elijah listened patiently as she talked and talked. Elena couldn't deny that it felt fantastic to tell someone everything. She knew that she would tell Caroline and Bonnie as soon as she could but it felt good to tell someone who was a complete third party who had no emotional connection to the relationship. She finished off with everything to do with Anna and when she was done, Elijah looked at her with a slightly overwhelmed look.

"You should not let go of all hopes and faith in the elder Winchester so easily." He said, causing Elena to look up at him with surprise.

"But… so much happened. I lied to him and he kissed another girl. He kissed an angel!" she argued pitifully.

"You weren't together at the time and you hadn't admitted to your feelings." Elijah reminded her.

"Dean admitted that he knew how I felt when he kissed her."

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"If that is all that can tear you two apart, then your relationship was not as strong as you made it seem. But you and I both know that it is strong. You do not truly want to be done with that man. You are just unsure as to whether or not you should trust him again or whether he should trust you but I do not think that you wish to be done with him permanently." Elijah said.

Elena squinted at him.

"Since when did you become so good at relationship stuff?" she questioned.

"I've been around for a very long time. Not all of the knowledge that I've acquired is specifically related to the supernatural. I was, after all, involved with both Tatia and Katerina Petrova romantically. If nothing else, those two taught me everything I've needed to know about trust and distrust." He said.

She nodded and sighed.

"You're right. I don't want to be done with him. He is so… normal. I mean, despite the fact that he is a hunter. He's…" she trailed off.

"He's not a vampire." Elijah finished for her.

Elena looked at him with wide eyes. She began to stammer out a denial, not wanting him to be offended.

"Believe me, Elena. It does not offend me. I understand your need to find someone who is not a vampire. We are very intense and a lot to take in even for each other. I cannot imagine how it was to experience a relationship with a vampire as a human. You are impressive for even trying to make it work and remaining sane." Elijah said.

"Oh you haven't heard? I'm not sane." Elena said, cracking a smile.

He let out a short chuckle, glancing down at his watch. Elena sighed and hopped off of the car.

"You should get going." She said knowingly.

Elijah nodded and she turned to walk back to the house. Elijah fell into step with her once again and they remained silent as they walked back.

"I have not said it yet, but I am grateful to you. My family, including Klaus, has reunited. We all have you to thank." He said as they reached his car.

"I notice that you left the Mini Cooper behind." She said with amusement.

"I am letting Rebekah drive it. She developed a certain fondness for it when she was awoken." He corrected her.

"Oh, good. I'm glad someone is getting use out of it." Elena nodded.

Elijah pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"This is my phone number. If you ever need anything, anything at all, contact me and I will come to help you immediately." He assured her.

"Thank you, Elijah." Elena said, pulling him into a hug.

She didn't even care if he didn't like hugs. It was happening whether he liked it or not. Elijah hugged her back softly before looking down at her as she pulled away.

"Good luck with your siblings." She said with a smile.

"Good luck with everything else." Elijah replied before climbing into his car and driving away.

When Elena walked inside, Bobby was looking at a book with Bonnie and she was explaining something to do with magic she learned from her Gran. He looked fascinated and wary at having both a witch and a vampire in his house.

"How did it go?" Caroline asked, perking up.

Elena gave her a look.

"Like you don't know." She said, referring to her vampire hearing.

Caroline shrugged and smiled at her. Elena looped her arm through the blonde's with a similar smile, turning to face Bobby.

"We'll leave you to do your thing, Bobby." She said. "Bonnie and Caroline are probably leaving tomorrow so we're going to spend the day together."

He nodded as Bonnie walked over to them.

"There are leftovers in the fridge. No takeout." Elena said sternly before pulling her friends up the stairs to the room that she'd taken over at Bobby's insistence.

"He's nice." Bonnie said.

"Really?" Elena said. "That's not usually people's first impression of him. I mean, he's incredible but he's a little grumpy with new people, especially…"

She cut off, looking up at them guiltily.

"A vampire and a witch?" Caroline asked.

"It just freaks him out a little." She shrugged. "He's a hunter and not as okay with it as Sam and Dean."

They looked understanding, which made Elena relax quite a bit more.

"So… tell us everything." Caroline urged her.

She sighed, leaning her head back against the headboard of the bed.

"To do that, I'll need something strong." she said, not really wanting to recount the story again.

Caroline and Bonnie exchanged looks, smiling at each other.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Elena sighed as they walked into the nightclub.

It was crowded, loud, and dark. They'd had to drive three towns over to find the club.

"Let loose and have fun!" Caroline urged her, dragging them to the bar.

The bartender quickly fulfilled their orders after deciding that he didn't need to see their IDs thanks to Caroline's vampiric persuasion abilities. They grabbed their drinks and went straight for a table that was empty.

"Now?" Bonnie and Caroline both urged.

Elena finally sighed, sipping on her margarita as she told them everything that happened since she left Mystic Falls.

"You have a tattoo?" Caroline demanded.

Elena nodded, turning around and sliding her jacket off of her shoulders to show them.

"Wow." Bonnie said, staring at the black symbol with wide eyes.

She turned back and continued, informing them about the fight between her and Dean as well as everything that happened with Anna. They both stared at her with sympathy when she finished.

"Stop that." Elena said, shaking her head. "I don't want pity or apologies. I just want to forget about it and try not to think about it until I have to."

They both nodded, glancing out at the dance floor.

"You know the perfect place to do that?" Caroline said, her eyes glinting mischievously.

A slow smile bloomed across Elena's face and her friends grinned at her, pulling her out of the chair and onto the dance floor. She was moving very little at first until she saw Caroline and Bonnie's delighted faces as they danced around. Elena smiled wider and began dancing more, moving her hips to the beat as she let herself get lost in the music. After dancing for about ten minutes, she felt arms slide around her waist. Elena jumped slightly but didn't move, melting into them. She smelled something strange but it didn't occur to her as weird. She heard Caroline questioning what she was doing but Elena didn't listen, sliding her hands up the stranger's arms.

Suddenly Dean's face flashed across her vision, yelling at her to open her eyes. Elena did so, staring up at the man she was dancing with. She smiled down at her, a creepy smile that sent shivers down her spine. She smiled back hesitantly, not moving. There was something strange about him and she had to figure out what it was. When she saw his eyes flash silver, she knew that it wasn't a trick of the light. Her heart pounded in her chest but she moved closer, grinding with him. Her hand slid into his and she grinned up at him, shooting him the most seductive look she could manage.

He nodded back and she turned, guiding him through the crowd. She knew that Caroline and Bonnie would follow soon and she prayed that they wouldn't give her away. When they walked through the door, she withdrew her keys from the pocket of her jacket. They strode towards Bobby's car just as she heard the door slam open. She knew it was her friends. Luckily, there was no one else in the parking lot.

"Let me just get something." Elena said, opening the trunk where he couldn't see what was inside.

She caught sight of a gun and prayed that there were silver bullets somewhere.

"Elena? What the hell are you doing?" Caroline demanded.

The man whirled around, staring at them. She took advantage of the distraction, scrambling around for the bullets. She found them quickly and loaded two into the gun before lifting it out.

"Oh my God!" Bonnie gasped her hands going to her mouth as Elena aimed the gun at the shifter's head.

He turned and glared at her.

"How?" he demanded.

"You need to choose your prey better." Elena replied. "You managed to find the one hunter in the whole place."

She fired off the gun and he fell to the ground, his eyes open and unseeing.

"How did you know that was… what if he's… Elena!" Caroline cried, staring down at him in shock.

She bent down, taking hold of his ear and ripping it off easily. They both looked at the creature with disgusted looks.

"Shapeshifter. Their eyes turn silver and I saw it when I was dancing with him." Elena said, putting the gun in the trunk. "Now help me get him into the car before someone comes."

With Caroline's added strength, they managed to shove his body into the trunk.

"We have to get him back to Bobby's, now." Elena said, glancing at them. "Sorry to ruin our night."

Both Bonnie and Caroline were smiling now.

"No you didn't." the blonde said, shaking her head.

"It was kind of awesome, seeing you so badass." Bonnie agreed.

Elena smiled back at them before they hurried to get in the car.

* * *

Bobby whistled as he peered down at the shifter's body.

"You have got the same damn luck as those boys." He commented, glancing up at her.

Elena shrugged, giving him an apologetic look.

"Go inside with your friends. I'll bury the damn thing." Bobby grumbled, reaching for a shovel.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"You took out a shapeshifter on your own tonight. You deserve to rest." he said, patting her on the back with a proud tone in his voice.

Elena smiled at him before turning to walk back into the house. They were all in their pajamas and resting on the bed thirty minutes later.

"When are Sam and Dean coming back?" Caroline asked, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I have no idea. I think they may have caught another case." Elena said, shaking her head.

"What are you going to do about Dean when he gets back?" Bonnie wondered.

"I am clueless about that as well." she sighed.

They both looked at her sympathetically.

"Do you want to be with him?" Caroline asked.

Elena looked up at them.

"I do. He's… he's great." She admitted.

"But?" Bonnie asked, sensing that something else was going on.

"He's so closed off." Elena sighed. "I mean, I have been too but it's like it's in Dean's nature. I was busting at the seams wanting to tell him everything and I just don't think he is that way. How can a relationship like that work? How can I be with someone without knowing if they're telling me everything? I don't mean he lies but… he just keeps things internal and that's not how I usually work."

"Well maybe he just needs someone to be there. From what you've told us, people don't stick around a lot for him. Maybe if he knows you'll be here, he'll start to open up to you." Caroline suggested.

Elena looked up at them, taking a deep breath.

"This is why I need you both." she said, reaching out to take their hands. "You make things make sense."

They both grinned at her before grabbing her into a hug.

* * *

The next morning, all three females woke up and went downstairs. When Bobby came out of his room, he found them in the kitchen laughing and talking as music played out of Caroline's phone. They were making a big breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes and omelettes.

"Sit down, Bobby." Elena said with a grin. "We're treating you as a thank you for letting Caroline and Bonnie stay here."

He flushed, shrugging as he sat at the table. Elena and Bonnie immediately set two plates in front of him while Caroline gave him a glass full of orange juice. They all watched eagerly as he tasted everything.

"This is delicious." Bobby said through a mouthful of pancake.

They all beamed and turned to get their own plates, loading them up before sitting with him.

"Elijah said he should be here in about two hours." Caroline said, checking her phone.

Elena nodded as she ate, feeling a bit of sadness that her friends were leaving. When they were packed up, Elena stood outside with them as she and Bobby handed them things.

"Hex bags. They will protect you against angels finding you. Give one to everyone, even the Originals." Elena instructed as she handed them a box full of the small canvas bags.

"These are salt rounds." Bobby said, handing them a smaller box. "Once he sees them, your hunter friend should be able to replicate them."

Elena nodded in agreement.

"Find a lot of rock salt somewhere. It helps defend against demons." Bobby continued.

She handed them several stacks of papers with drawings on them.

"They're labeled but they should tell you. This is a devil's trap. Put it at every entrance to the house and one in every room. You can paint them on the bottom of rugs or on the floor or even on the ceiling. It doesn't matter, just do it. They'll trap demons. This is the exorcism spell." She explained.

"It gets messy but it'll work if you just keep on doing it no matter what the demon threatens." Bobby said.

They all looked out as Elijah's car pulled into the salvage yard and drove towards them.

"And this is the angel-banishing sigil. It has to be drawn in blood and you have to put your hand in the exact middle of it to activate it." Elena said, gesturing to the last paper.

Behind her, she heard the familiar sound of wings fluttering. She whirled around to see Castiel standing there with narrowed eyes. He'd obviously heard what they said but that wasn't it. Elena knew exactly why he was there and why he was staring at her with frustration in his eyes.

"Oh my…" Caroline breathed, looking around at the angel. "He's cute."

Elena stared over at her as Elijah got out of his car.

"Is everything all right?" he asked as Bobby inched away from Castiel, not trusting him after their first meeting.

"You should leave." Castiel said, glaring at the vampire.

"Hey!" Elena said, stepping in front of Castiel to shield the others from his gaze. "Don't talk to my friends like that."

He became silent, squinting at her. Elena turned, quickly embracing her friends.

"I'll see you soon." She said, aware that they were watching the angel warily.

"You better." Caroline nodded.

She watched as they got in the car and drove off. Then Elena turned and rounded on Castiel.

"You are not supposed to be here." Castiel said, cutting her off before she could say anything.

"You're the one who led me here." Elena replied, staring up at him angrily.

"I led you to the Winchesters. I went to where they were to speak with all of you and you were not with them. You are meant to remain with them so why are you here?" Cas demanded.

"We needed a break, some separation."

"You mean, you and Dean needed a break?" the angel corrected her.

Elena froze for a moment, glaring up at him. The phone began ringing and Bobby stared between them hesitantly. Elena nodded at him, assuring him that he could go.

"That is absolutely none of your business." She said icily.

"It is when you have forsaken the duties put before you. We placed the Winchesters in your care, you are meant to keep them safe. Tell me how you can do that from thousands of miles away." Cas said, his eyes accusing her.

"They survived on simple ghost hunts years before they ever met me. I don't see why this one will be any different. They will be fine. And considering that I still don't know why the hell the Winchesters have been placed under my care or even what I am, I don't want to hear about the duties you've placed before me. While we're on the subject of duty, why don't you tell me exactly what your angelic duties are? Because mostly what I've seen so far is you being a gigantic dick and trying to kill people left and right who don't deserve to die." Elena said, stepping forward to glare at him.

"You do not understand what being an angel entails." He said dismissively, unaffected by her accusation.

"You're damn right I don't!" she growled. "What the hell is wrong with you, Castiel? When we first met, you weren't a hammer. You weren't threatening innocent people all the time and you certainly weren't attacking us."

"I do not have to explain myself to you."

"Then I don't have to explain myself to you!" Elena shouted.

He looked surprised at her outburst for a moment before he recovered.

"I have made it clear that your place is with the Winchesters ready to keep them as safe as they can possibly be." the angel said.

"Well let me make it clear that until I get an explanation, you are doomed to be disappointed! Explain what the hell happened to you that made you so different! I will not accept your half-assed, vague answers anymore, Cas!" Elena shot back.

He stared down at her, processing her words.

"You attempt to assign human intricacies to angels when in truth, we are nothing alike." Castiel said.

"So what? You meant what you said? You really are a heartless bastard?" Elena demanded.

"Angels were not created to have a heart. We were not created to feel emotions and to act on them. We were created to be warriors and in order to be a perfect warrior, we were made to be logical so that we could make clear decisions." He explained.

She shook her head, refusing to accept his words.

"I've seen you, Cas. I've been around you. You brought me clothes when you sent me back to 1979 because you didn't want me to be uncomfortable. You helped me heal Dean with gentleness and patience. You promised me that my family would be protected. So I do not believe for one minute that you are cold or heartless." She ranted.

He looked as though he was shocked speechless for several moments.

"You are determined to see the best in everyone, Elena Gilbert." Cas finally spoke.

"Is that such a bad thing?" she questioned.

"It can be, if it makes you naïve." He replied.

"Trust me, I've seen enough in my life to keep me from ever being naïve. I simply want to believe that the people that I choose to be around me are good people." Elena said.

"I have superiors who do not approve of angels going against their nature and becoming close to humans even if they place us with humans. Anna was around humans for two thousand years and she was never once permitted to enjoy any measure of a friendship, relationship, or otherwise with a human. She was very often prohibited from revealing herself to humans, sometimes being forced to keep her body invisible. I have already been… berated… for my attachment to you and the Winchesters. I do not wish for the angels to think that I am becoming too close to you three and remove me from the earth. If they do such a thing, I will most likely be replaced with Uriel or an angel who is similar to him. That is one thing that I think none of us wish to happen. That is why I have been withdrawing. That is why I was acting like Uriel or any other angel. I was hesitant to show any favor towards any of you just in case I was being watched." Castiel informed her.

Elena bit her lip and nodded, taking in the information.

"So you're still Cas?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I believe that I am." He said seriously.

She smiled slightly and looked up at him.

"I will join Sam and Dean on the next hunt, I promise." She said, her eyes wide and truthful.

"I know that you are frustrated with not knowing what you are, Elena. I promise you in return that you will find out more about your abilities quite soon." The angel said before glancing up at the sky.

"Do you have to leave?" Elena asked.

"I am being called back up to heaven. I should go before someone comes looking for us. I will find you soon, Elena." Cas promised her before disappearing.

Elena sighed and walked inside, pulling out a brownie mix and quickly gathering the ingredients.

* * *

On the fourth day of Sam and Dean being gone, Bobby received a phone call from the boys saying that they were heading back. He didn't say a word about Elena despite Sam's not so subtle attempt to get him to talk about her. The poor girl had told him everything that happened with the angel, Anna, and the complications between her and Dean. He was not willing to get between all of that. When Elena finally came walking down after sleeping, he informed her immediately that the brothers were headed home. She didn't respond with much, going to the kitchen and fixing a big bowl of pasta.

When she was done eating and cleaning up the kitchen after their lunch, she immediately escaped to the upstairs, citing the need to take a shower and clean up her own room a bit. When she didn't come back down for three hours, Bobby knew that he was avoiding the downstairs area. The front door swung open at about five o'clock in the evening and he stood to greet the brothers. Dean's eyes immediately flashed to the stairs as Bobby held out his hand to shake. When Dean accepted his hand, he pulled him in close.

"She'll be down when she's ready. Give her time." he murmured before pulling away and nodding at the older brother.

Sure enough, about thirty minutes later in the middle of their explanation of the case they just took care of, they all heard the stairs creaking under Elena's light weight and a slight inhale of breath when they all stopped talking to listen for her. A few seconds later, she walked into the room with an uncertain look on her face. Her eyes didn't even have to search for Dean. They just fell on him naturally and she looked over him, sighing with relief when she saw that he was all right. Then her eyes inspected Sam for injury and she looked satisfied as she looked at Bobby with an expression that reminded him of a terrified deer in the headlights

"I'm going to get food." She said quickly, darting forward and grabbing his keys off of his desk and fleeing from the room.

Dean was still staring at the spot where she'd been standing regretfully once she disappeared.

"She didn't even say hello." He muttered.

"Well she didn't speak to me, either." Sam reminded his brother.

"You two idjits just gotta give the girl time. She's been pretty overwhelmed in the past few days." Bobby said before telling him about the visitors Elena received and what he heard of their conversations as well as the shapeshifter she came across.

* * *

Elena quickly returned to the house after going to a burger joint and getting the food to go. She pulled the bags into her arms and walked inside, dropping them on the table and looking up to see the males looking at her from the study where they were still all sitting in the exact same spots that she left them.

"Well what are you waiting for? Come get food." She said, gesturing to the many bags that she'd brought in.

"For all of us?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Of course." She said, finally smiling.

They walked in and she sorted out the food, putting it on a plate before handing to him. When Dean stepped forward to accept his food, Elena handed the plate to him as well as a box with a pie in it. She reached out to hand it to him and their eyes met as it went from her hands to his.

"Thank you." he said softly.

They both knew that his expression of gratitude wasn't just for the food. It was for the fact that she was still at the house when he returned. Elena nodded before grabbing her food and immediately running upstairs.

"Don't be offended. She does it a lot now. But you can look forward to brownies." Bobby said.

"Brownies?" Sam and Dean asked.

Bobby gestured to the trashcan where several boxes of brownie mix were piled in along with the discarded remains of the ingredients to make it.

"She's been makin' two batches a day since you left. I don't know where she's putting it all when she eats it but I swear to God, I've gained about fifteen pounds in the last four days." Bobby said.

Sam laughed slightly while Dean looked guilty. They all knew that Elena only made brownies when she was stressed and upset. Neither of those emotions were ones that made Dean feel great about himself. He'd caused it and the guilt from that made him bow his head and sit at the table, eating his food in silence. When he was done, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the alcohol cabinet and walked outside.

"He started drinking a lot on this case. I think… I know it's cause of what happened with him and Elena but that's not all of it. His nightmares and flashbacks of hell got worse too without her there." Sam explained to Bobby.

Little did either of them know, but a pair of listening ears heard that explanation from the stairs and a sniffle was followed by the sound of bare feet running back upstairs and into her room. When Elena finally came back downstairs after discovering that Dean had picked up drinking to cope as well as the fact that his flashbacks and nightmares were getting worse, she only found Sam and Bobby in the study looking over the case file of the haunting they just worked on. They looked up when she entered. Neither of them missed her eyes darting around to catch a glimpse of Dean.

"He went to the bar in town." Sam said.

Elena's eyes flashed and she nodded.

"I'm going to…" she trailed off, not knowing how to explain to Bobby what she was going to do.

"The car is yours." He said, picking up the keys and tossing them to her.

Elena stared at them for a moment before nodding gratefully and turning to run upstairs to change out of the ratty clothing that she was in. When she came back down, Bobby held up his keys wordlessly.

"I'll see you later!" she called over her shoulder.

They both shook their heads at her. Despite the fact that her and Dean were in a fight and weren't speaking to each other, it was easy to see that they still cared about each other by their actions. A few moments later, Elena came running back in and threw her arms around Sam's shoulders from behind, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm glad you're back." she whispered, ruffling his hair before turning to run out once again, leaving him with a grin on his face.

When Elena arrived at the bar that she knew Dean would be at, she parked Bobby's car next to the black Impala before getting out to walk inside. The bar was a little bit crowded but she easily spotted Dean at the bar hunched over a beer. She slowly walked through the crowd and slid into the spot next to him.

"Not interested." He grumbled, turning to glare at her.

His eyes widened when they took her and her appearance in. Elena simply stared at him for a moment before turning to the bartender.

"I'll have what he's having." She said, cocking her head to Dean.

"ID?" the bartender asked and she handed over one of her many fake IDs.

When he gave her the beer and wandered off after giving her a flirty grin, she didn't even turn to look at Dean. They both just sat there drinking and not speaking. It felt as if there was nothing to say even though both of them knew that there was plenty to say. It took an entire two bottles of beer for either of them to say anything.

"Sam said your flashbacks and dreams got worse when you left." She said softly messing with a napkin on the bar.

Dean flinched visibly next to her.

"I don't wanna talk about it." he said hoarsely and Elena looked at him with an incredulous look.

"You've never said that to me about this." she reminded him, shocked at his refusal.

He didn't say anything, just sipping at his beer.

"How is Anna?" the words slipped out of her mouth before she could help it and she wished more than anything that she could take them back.

He finally turned to face her and his green eyes were blazing with emotions.

"Anna kissed me so that I could figure out that, despite the fact that you lied to me, you were the only one I wanted to be kissing. She was helping me realize that I have feelings for you." Dean said defensively.

"Well thank God for that. I suppose that kissing you was the only way she could achieve that. It's okay Dean, we obviously weren't together. I'm just an insane jealous person." Elena spat out sarcastically, knowing that the alcohol in her system was fueling her.

"Do you forget that I ran to you immediately after it happened? That I didn't even look back at her because all I wanted to do was to make sure that I didn't lose you?" he snapped, his eyes narrowing.

"Here's an idea, if you don't want to lose me, don't go around kissing other girls." She shot back, slamming her beer on the counter and catching the attention of a few people around them.

"Well if you don't want to lose me, how about you stop going behind my back and deciding what I need to know and what you can lie to me about?" Dean growled.

"Right! Cause I only did that to deceive you and make sure that you were out of the loop. And I already apologized for that! How about you finally learn to see things from other people's points of view instead of making judgments early about them?" she said, pulling her purse up onto her shoulder before sliding off the barstool and turning to stomp away.

"It doesn't matter what your reasoning was! You lied to me about Sam and you kept lyin' to me!" Dean said, his voice raising as he followed her, stumbling slightly as he was a bit more inebriated than Elena was.

"You lied to me too and you kissed another girl!" she yelled over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd and yanked her coat on.

By that time, the entire bar was watching them. As they approached the door, someone stepped in front of them.

"How about you two come with me?" Sheriff Jody Mills suggested.

Elena turned, glaring at Dean as they were led out of the bar.

* * *

Sam was in the kitchen eating leftover brownies when his phone rang. He didn't recognize the caller, frowning as he answered.

"Hello?"

"This Sam?" a female voice asked.

"Yeah?"

"I have two young people by the name of Dean Winchester and Elena Gilbert here at the Sheriff's station. Do you mind coming to pick them up?"

He let out a sigh, dropping the brownie in his hands as he stood.

"Yeah I'll be there in a few minutes." Sam said, grabbing the keys to Bobby's work truck.

"What's going on?" the older hunter asked, watching as he walked towards the door.

"I'm pretty sure they were arrested." He said, causing Bobby to let out a laugh as he jogged outside.

* * *

When he pulled up to the station, he parked and walked inside.

"Hey, I'm Sam." he said to the sheriff that he spotted immediately.

"Jody Mills." The woman replied, gesturing for him to follow her.

Dean and Elena were in the main area where all of the officer's desks were. They were sitting on opposite side of a desk, refusing to look at each other.

"They haven't said a word since we got here. Neither of them are over the limit for alcohol. I just gave them a warning for public disturbance so you can take them." Jody said, handing Sam the car keys that she confiscated from both of them. "Keep 'em from clawing each other's eyes out."

Sam nodded with a sigh, glancing back at them. Dean held his hand out for the keys to the Impala as he stood and Sam handed them over. Elena walked out ahead of them.

"I'll take you to the bar so you can get the cars." He said quietly.

Neither answered, both remaining completely silent as they rode to the bar. As soon as they got there, they both slammed out of the truck and made their way to their respective cars. Sam just rode behind them as they both sped towards Bobby's. The older hunter was waiting on the porch when they got there, looking far too amused by the entire situation. When Dean walked up to the porch, he stopped him.

"Nope. Neither of you are comin' in here until you work this out. I've got valuable stuff in here and I'm not risking you breaking it."

Elena and Dean gaped at him as Sam walked past Bobby.

"You serious?" Dean said, shocked.

"As a heart attack." Bobby nodded, walking into the house and closing the door behind him.

Elena turned away, leaning against the porch as she glared out at the dark expanse of the salvage yard. They could barely see the outline of the cars.

"I assume you think this is my fault too." Dean said, referring to their current situation.

Elena glared over at him.

"You know what they say about making assumptions." She fired back.

"So you don't think it's my fault? Glad to see you're owning up." Dean nodded.

Elena scoffed, shaking her head.

"Can you go five minutes without putting your foot in your mouth?" she demanded.

"Nope." Dean replied.

"Great." She nodded, glaring forward. "I have that to look forward to for the rest of my life."

He stopped, looking over at her strangely.

"What?" Dean said, the anger dropping out of his tone.

"You heard me."

"No, say it again."

Elena looked over at him, confusion furrowing her brow.

"What?" she said.

"What do you mean by that?" Dean asked.

"Oh don't do that." Elena said, shaking her head. "Don't make me explain my every sentence to you. I meant what I said."

Dean stepped towards her.

"The rest of your life?"

Elena quieted, glancing over at him.

"Of course." She said, trying to keep a hard tone in her voice. "I already told you that months ago, idiot."

"I thought…" Dean trailed off.

Elena gritted her teeth, turning her body to face him.

"Of course you thought!" she snapped, advancing towards him. "You assume I'm just like everyone else. You make me out to be some sort of horrible person who disappears from your life because of a stupid fight!"

"You were packing that night!" Dean shot back.

"To go to a damn motel in town! I didn't want to be anywhere near you and Anna until I got over seeing you two kiss. It made me feel sick! I needed separation even if it was by ten miles. I wasn't leaving. You always do that. You think that I'm going to be just like the others who've abandoned you. Well guess what, Dean Winchester, I'm not going anywh…"

Elena was cut off by his lips crashing onto hers. Dean pulled her in close, his fingers weaving into her long hair and the other hand pressing into the small of her back. She responded immediately, pushing into him as her arms wrapped around his neck. They kissed passionately and desperately, pouring every drop of anger and betrayal into it as they pressed as close together as they could get. When they finally pulled away, both were breathing heavily. They stared into each other's eyes, wordlessly communicating. Elena stepped away from Dean and he immediately felt the loss of her body pressed to his. When she slid her hand into his, he allowed her to lead him inside.

Bobby and Sam were both sitting in the living room. They looked up at them with hesitant eyes but neither Elena nor Dean said a word. They walked past them, straight to the stairs. Dean glanced back at them to see Sam and Bobby both grinning up at him. He flushed and turned, walking behind Elena into the room. She immediately slid off her coat before grabbing her pajamas.

"I'm going to change. I'll be back." Elena said quietly, moving into the bathroom.

When she stepped out moments later, she was in soft flannel pants and a t-shirt. Elena climbed onto the bed, staring at him with a tilted head. When she held her hand out to him, Dean moved immediately. He pulled off his jacket and over shirt as well as his pants, climbing into the bed with his boxers and a t-shirt on.

"I can help you with your nightmares." Elena murmured, pulling him down to lie beside her.

They were facing each other for several minutes, just staring into each other's eyes. Their hands were intertwined.

"We should start over." Dean suggested. "Blank slate, no more lies."

Elena stared at him with surprise. She was thinking the same thing but she had no idea how he would react to that.

"I want to." She nodded. "Taking it slow."

Dean nodded in agreement.

"Taking it slow." He confirmed.

Elena smiled at him, sliding in closer to lay her head on his chest. She allowed her eyes to flutter closed and Dean did the same, somehow knowing that he would sleep peacefully that night.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! **

**Songs:**

**Bedroom Hymns – Florence + the Machine (during the nightclub scene with Caroline and Bonnie)**

**Next: The next chapter is the magician chapter. It's Dean's turn to be jealous when more than one man shows interest in her and she has to flirt back to solve the case.**


	17. Got A Hold On Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to JMHUW, animagirl, LineChokor, KwC1994, Nyssandria, and xxPaige23xx for reviewing! **

**To LineChokor, that version was actually from the stage show. I've never seen the movie but I've seen the musical twice. I love the music, though. It's perfect for writing.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Howlin' for You – The Black Keys**

**A few things:**

**1. This is mostly a carefree chapter to make up for the angst of the last few.**

**2. Dean does get jealous and Elena finds this amusing.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena immediately took in her surroundings when she woke up. She didn't even open her eyes at first. She was pressed against Dean's chest and his arms were wrapped around her. Their legs were tangled up and, when she opened her eyes, she saw that sun was streaming in from the window and falling on their bodies. Elena sighed softly and looked up to see that Dean was still asleep. He was flat on his back with her head and torso lying across his chest. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open, causing him to make soft breathy noises. She smiled, burrowing in closer to him and relaxing in his arms. Minutes later, his fingers trailed across the sliver of skin revealed by her t-shirt that had ridden up. Elena smiled, glancing up to see his sleepy green eyes staring down at her.

"Good morning." She murmured.

Dean smiled, pulling her up. Their lips met softly and she slid her hand into his sleep-mussed hair, nibbling at his bottom lip. He pulled her around so that she was straddling his lap and his hands slid under her shirt, splaying over the bare skin of her back. Elena pulled away, smiling down at him as she tucked her hair behind her ears. She crossed her arms over his chest and put her chin on her hands, just gazing up at him.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Just looking." Elena shrugged, reaching up to stroke her thumb over his cheek.

There was the dark shadow of a bruise there, something she hadn't noticed the day before. Elena concentrated as she bit her lip, feeling the warmth flowing from her fingertips into his body. Dean gasped at the feeling, his eyes closing for a moment before they reopened.

"Did you just…"

She nodded hesitantly, unsure of how he would react.

"Thank you." Dean murmured.

Elena beamed at him and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his once more. A knock on the door pulled them out of their blissful bubble and Elena slid off of Dean. He sat up as she opened the door to see Sam standing there.

"Sorry guys." He said, looking like he would rather not interrupt them since they'd finally stopped fighting. "We have another case."

Sam held up Dean's bag and she took it.

"We'll be down soon." Elena said, nodding at him.

When she closed the door and turned around, Dean was looking at her with concern.

"You're coming, right?" he asked.

She nodded, setting his bag on the bed.

"Of course I am." Elena confirmed, leaning in to kiss him once more.

Now that she was allowed to do it, she wasn't about to stop.

"I'm taking the first shower." She said, pulling away with a teasing grin.

"Don't use all the hot water." Dean said, squinting at her with a slight smile playing on his lips.

* * *

"What's going on?" Elena asked as they walked into the living room where Sam and Bobby were looking over a case file.

"A man is walking out of a bar and dies of ten stab wounds." Bobby said, looking up at her.

Elena looked at him with a questioning glance.

"Is that the beginning to a very bad joke?" She questioned.

Dean grinned as Sam chuckled and Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Witnesses say there was no one around with a knife, no one walked up to him, and his shirt didn't have any tears in it. Just stab wounds." He continued.

She looked at Sam and Dean, who were looking impressed and horrified by this as well.

"Sounds awfully witchy to me." Dean said.

"Can't say I'm not tired of dealing with witches." Elena sighed, feeling bad because her best friend was a witch.

The other witches that they'd come across were not nearly as good as Bonnie, most of them wreaking havoc with their powers.

"You can say that again." Dean said in agreement.

"Where is this happening?" she asked, trying to keep her mind off of it.

"That's the good news. It's only about an hour drive to Sioux City, Iowa." Dean said, pulling the Impala keys out of his pocket.

"Good. I like that." Elena said, smiling.

"Oh, you might want to pack some stuff. We kind of can't go in as FBI." Dean said.

"Why not?" Elena questioned.

"We forgot to mention the best part. There happens to be a gigantic magic convention in Sioux City. Some of the best magicians in the country are going to be there and magicians are some of the best conmen in the world. And conmen can see straight through cons so there's a chance they might see right through our FBI badges." Sam said.

"So what? Bring my bunny and a top hat?" Elena asked with a laugh.

Dean and Sam exchanged looks.

"What?" she demanded, sobering up.

"Well… usually the females… well… they're… uh… assistants." Sam shrugged.

Elena's eyes narrowed at them.

"And what do assistants wear?" she asked through gritted teeth, placing her hands on her hips.

They both fell silent. She knew very well what magician's assistants wore but she was interested to hear how they would describe it.

"Something… erm… attractively… uh… impressive." Dean suggested.

Her eyebrow rose as her lips formed a thin line.

"You mean to tell me that I basically have to dress like a slut and act like an assistant?" she demanded.

"Not like a slut… just… you know…" Sam trailed off.

Elena huffed and whirled around to stomp out of the room.

"She's never coming back down, is she?" Dean said resignedly, looking after her as they heard her stomping up the stairs.

Surprisingly enough, Elena came back down the stairs a few minutes later with a duffle bag and her backpack.

"Are we ready?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at them.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, grabbing Sam's arm and following her out as she walked outside and threw open the trunk to the Impala, throwing her bags on top of the weapons and slamming it closed.

She turned to Bobby without looking at the brothers.

"There is leftover food in the fridge that should last you until we get back. I trust that you can last on that instead of going to get burgers and fries for every meal?" she asked in a disapproving tone.

"Yeah I can." He said, bowing his head like a scolded child.

"Good." She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek before climbing into the car.

"Take care of her. And be nice." Bobby said, narrowing his eyes mainly at Dean.

"I don't think we have to worry about Dean being nice to Elena." Sam said, grinning.

Elena was leaning forward with her arms crossed on the seat when he climbed in. He looked over to see her smiling deviously.

"What?" he questioned, a slow smile spreading on his face.

"I'm just thinking that we might have to kick Sam out of the room later." She whispered, kissing the area just behind his ear as her arms wrapped around his chest.

"Hmm… sounds good." He said in a gravelly voice, leaning his head back.

"Oh God… I don't want to see this." Sam grumbled as he climbed into the car.

"Get over it." Elena and Dean said at the same time.

Sam sighed as Elena leaned back in her seat with a triumphant smile and curled up to sit there for the next hour.

* * *

When they pulled into the town, they were immediately assaulted with the advertisements for the many magicians in town for the big weekend. Sam and Dean decided that they needed to stay at the hotel where the magicians were just so that they could be in the middle of everything. Before they went in the hotel, they saw one of the magicians performing at the corner of the street. They climbed out of the Impala and walked towards him. The magician was doing a card trick.

"This, this isn't a trick, okay? I don't do tricks. This is a demonstration…" the man said, shuffling the cards around his hands. "…. about demons and angels…"

Elena brushed her hair out of her face and the magician's eye caught hers as he continued to perform. He threw her a smirk, eyeing her appreciatively.

"… love and lust…" he said, not taking his gaze off of her.

"What a douchebag." Dean scoffed, causing Elena to smile and shake her head at his jealousy that he would never admit.

She noticed a camera crew standing in front of the man.

"… all that stuff mixed up in my head." He said, gesturing for an audience member to walk forward.

"That's Jeb Dexter." Sam said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I don't even want to know how you know that." Dean said, shaking his head.

"He's famous, kind of." The younger brother said, rolling his eyes.

"But whatever happens, no matter how…" the magician said dramatically

"For what? Douchebaggery?" Dean demanded, glaring at him.

"… messed up it gets, don't touch me, okay?" he looked for reassurance from the audience. "For your own safety."

Jeb Dexter inhaled and exhaled deeply before imitating something that looked like a seizure. One of his hands grabbed for the cards and threw them at the window behind him.

"Go back to hell, demon!" he shouted, throwing his arms out dramatically

One card, the ace of diamonds, was stuck to the window. Jeb Dexter dragged his hand over the window, showing that the card was on the other side of the glass.

"Is this your card?" he breathed.

The audience began applauding eagerly as Dean, Sam, and Elena drifted away with her walking between the brothers.

"You've got to be kidding me. A fake demon possession?" Dean said as they walked. "I can't believe people actually fall for that crap."

"It's not all crap." Sam shrugged.

"What part of that was not a steaming pile of bullshit?" Dean demanded, causing Elena to smile at his refusal to believe that when he dealt with stranger things every day.

"Okay, that was crap, but that's not all magicians." Sam said defensively. "It takes skill."

"Oh, right, right, I forgot. You were actually into this stuff, weren't you?" Dean asked, grinning over at his brother.

"Really?" Elena asked, looking over at Sam with a matching smile.

"I mean, he had, like, a deck of cards and a wand." Dean said, causing Elena to giggle and nudge Sam jokingly.

"Dude, I was thirteen. It was a phase." Sam scoffed

"Just… it bugs me. You know, playing at demons and, and magic, when the real thing will kill you bloody." Dean said, becoming serious again.

"Like a guy who drops dead of ten stab wounds without a single tear in his shirt?" Elena questioned

"That's what I'm talking about." Dean nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and bringing her in close.

Sam smiled at the two, glad to see that everything was good again.

* * *

When they got up to their room, Elena immediately went to the bathroom to get ready.

"We were teasing you a bit, Elena. You can come with us and do FBI stuff. We have a badge for you." Dean said through the door.

"No thanks." She replied, her voice muffled.

She emerged a few minutes later with her hair pulled, her make-up applied, and a tan trenchcoat on that came to her knees. On her feet was a pair of sparkling heels. Both of their jaws dropped slightly when they saw her. She grinned at them.

"I am going to do exactly as you said but not because you said it. The way I think about it is, who sees and hears everything their boss or magician says and does? Who loves nothing better than to talk and gossip about everything in their lives? If I can make all of the young, slutty assistants talk to me, I may get a pretty good lead from them." Elena shrugged.

"That's a great idea." Dean said, nodding at her.

"I know, I saw a group of them in the bar. I'll go down and get myself in their group while you go question whoever you need to question." Elena said, gesturing to their suits.

She leaned forward and kissed Dean's cheek, causing her perfume to wash over him delightfully, before she walked out of the room with a different purse in her hands.

* * *

Sam and Dean went to Patrick Vance's hotel room first to meet with his assistant and to see if anything was out of the ordinary.

"So did your boss have any enemies that you know of?" Dean asked, watching as she sorted through all of the props

"Vance had plenty of enemies." She said, rolling her eyes.

"How so?" Sam questioned.

"He would steal from other magicians. All the time." the young woman shrugged.

"What would he steal?"

"Stage effects, closeup techniques, anything he could get his hands on." she said.

"Is that enough to get him killed?" Dean asked.

"These guys take this stuff pretty seriously." The assistant said, bending down to move a white cloth and revealing a white rabbit. "There you are."

She bent down to pick it up and began to pet the rabbit.

"Did you find anything weird in Vance's stuff? Well, weirder?" Dean asked, eyeing the rabbit with a wrinkled nose.

"Matter of fact, I did." she said.

She set the bunny in a bag gently and pulled out a tarot card, the Ten of Swords. The image on the card was of ten swords sticking out of a man's back.

"I'm guessing this didn't belong to Vance." Sam asked, flipping the card over and back.

"He hated card tricks. Never wanted them around. Let alone in his precious cape." She said, shaking her head.

Sam and Dean walked down to the lobby of the hotel after talking to the deceased magician's assistant. They wanted to peek into the bar to see if Elena had gotten anywhere with her infiltration of the rest of the assistants.

"So do we think that one of the magicians did this? Revenge at Vance for stealing something out of his show?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that just leaves the question of…" Dean trailed off when his eyes fell on the table of young women.

"Dean? The question of…?" Sam asked, waving his hand in front of his face as he urged him to finish his sentence.

"… who?" Dean whispered, his eyes widening.

Sam looked over and his eyes widened as he caught sight of what Dean was staring at. Not only had Elena managed to fit in perfectly with the table of assistants, but she looked just like one of them. Her bronze legs were crossed and her heels made them look about ten miles long. She was holding a wine glass with the dark red liquid about halfway drunk. A sly smile was on her face as she chatted with the other women. Both of them wondered exactly what she was saying to make them all laugh like beautiful maniacs.

* * *

Elena hadn't found it hard to get herself into the magician's assistant group. They noticed her walk up to the bar and take off her jacket. One of them asked if she was an assistant and she confirmed that she was. They practically dragged her over to their table after that. She immediately discovered their topic of conversation and worked hard to keep a blush from filling her cheeks. It didn't work but they must have thought the redness came from the second glass of wine she was sipping on.

"They are always so needy. Always, can you do this? Can you do that? Oh baby I can't work very hard tonight. I had to do a show. Can you do all the work? I know you love being on top." A girl named Angela said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, I'd like to see them walking around on stage in those heels while having to look pretty and help them out at the same time. We should be the ones getting treated in the damn bed, not them." Another assistant, Olivia, sighed.

"Oh it would be nice, if all of those fucking magicians weren't so damn lazy." Angela countered, causing all of them to laugh.

"What about you?" Callie questioned Elena.

"Oh, well mine actually isn't that bad. He's… well he's gentle. And he always… always… cares about what I'm feeling rather than just what he's feeling. He may be an amateur magician just starting out but he is anything but an amateur in bed." Elena said with a wink, thinking of Dean as she spoke.

"Are you serious?" Olivia demanded, looking a little pissed.

"Oh yeah." Elena nodded, leaning forward with a smirk.

"God you are lucky. Mine is a fat old bastard but he gives me an extra three thousand a month if I sleep with him. I guess you could call me a whore but I'll tell you to go fuck yourself as I sit in my six hundred dollar dress." Callie shrugged.

"Hmm… I guess I am lucky. He has these abs. I could spend the rest of my life worshipping those things." Elena sighed truthfully, a sly grin forming on her face as she pictured them and the rest of the women alternated between laughing and swooning at the thought.

She heard footsteps behind her and all of the women looked up with wide eyes. Elena could feel his presence before his hand slid onto her bare shoulder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you ladies, but I have need of my assistant." Dean said, his thumb stroking over the skin of her neck.

Elena grinned at the suggestive nature of his statement even if he didn't even mean it that way. She gathered up her purse and finished off her wine as the rest of the women's mouths dropped open at the sight of him.

"You were not lying. Yours is better." Angela murmured.

Elena grinned at her and nodded, sliding out of the chair. She looked at Dean to see him looking a bit confused but mostly concentrating on her outfit. Elena didn't bother to put on the jacket because she liked the look in his eyes when he studied her legs.

"I suppose I'll see you later. It's time to take care of my boy." She said with a wink, finding that this act was far too easy to put on.

"Have fun." Olivia said, waving at them as Elena walked towards the elevators outside of the restaurant with Dean's hand in her own.

* * *

Sam left the hotel when Dean said he would go get Elena from the middle of the group of women so that they could go question some magicians who were practicing for the next day. Sam went to the bar where Vance was just before he died to ask the bartender if he saw anything strange. As he was walking out of the bar, he saw a familiar brunette leaning against the bricks next to the door.

"What are you doing here, Ruby?" he sighed.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Ruby said, pushing herself up to walk to him.

"I'm working a job." Sam said.

"The whole world's about to be engulfed in hellfire, and you're in Magictown, USA." The female demon demanded, causing Sam to laugh

"You got something against magic?" he questioned, knowing full well that she used to be a witch before she sold her soul.

"That would almost be funny if thirty-four seals hadn't been broken already. Thirty-four, Sam. That's over halfway. The angels are losing this war. Every day is one day closer, and if someone doesn't do something soon…" she stressed.

"And that someone is me?" Sam said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Who else would it be?" Ruby shrugged as if it as simple.

"I don't know where these seals are. I don't know squat. So why don't you tell me where you'd like me to start?" Sam said.

"Well, you can quit dicking around here, for one. Bigger fish, Sam. And if the seals are being broken, you might want to go after the one doing the breaking." she suggested.

"Lilith?" Sam questioned.

"Cut the head off the snake. You're the only one who can stop her, Sam. So step up and kill the little bitch." Ruby snapped, glaring him down.

"Oh, I'm game, believe me. It's not the psychic thing I got a problem with." Sam said, turning to walk away from her.

"Yeah, I know what you got a problem with, but tough. It's the only way." Ruby said, trotting after him.

"No." Sam said, shaking his head.

"You know, this would all be so much easier if you'd just admit to yourself that you like it. That feeling that it gives you." Ruby pushed him, smirking.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Sam growled softly, glaring at the ground as he took long strides down the sidewalk.

"Oh I don't, huh? Fine." Ruby said, stopping short. "It's simple. Lucifer rises, the apocalypse starts. You think that you have demons on your hands now? People are gonna die, Sam. Oceans of people. So you just let me know when you're ready!"

She turned on her heel to walk away, leaving him standing alone

* * *

The ride on the elevator was a little bit hilarious. Dean couldn't stop raking his eyes over her outfit and body and Elena was fighting the urge to laugh at his behavior. When they got to their floor, he practically flew out of the elevator, causing her to speed walk in her incredibly tall heels as they bolted down the hallway. When they got to the room, Dean shoved the keycard into the scanner and slammed the door open when it flashed green. Her jacket and purse were ripped out of her hands and thrown on the floor. Then she was up against the wall before she could really process anything. His hands were on the wall on either side of her head and his face was inches away from hers.

"You look…" he trailed off, unable to put it into words.

"You're the one who told me to dress like a slut." Elena murmured with her eyes gazing into his as she pushed his suit jacket off of his shoulders and tossed it away.

She had no idea where her sudden confident attitude when it came to sex and anything to do with it was coming from. Before, first with Matt and then with Stefan, she wasn't a submissive, demure partner but she certainly wasn't this confident. She had a feeling it had something to do with her partner. Dean groaned and shook his head.

"You don't look like a slut. You look gorgeous… and sexy. And I can't help but want to press you against this wall and…" he cut off again.

"And?" she urged him to continue, her hands running down his chest and abs before hooking in his belt loops and pulling his hips closer.

He let out a soft groan and suddenly his lips crashed on hers. She pressed forward as her hands abandoned the belt loops to wrap around his shoulders. His hands went to her back, pulling her up and closer to him. When he pulled her up off the ground, her legs automatically lifted and wrapped around his waist. Dean pressed her against the wall and their lips continued to dance passionately. The sound of a keycard entering the slot and the door being jiggled open causing them to stop. Dean groaned frustratingly as he pulled away. Reality returned to both of their eyes and he slowly let her down to her feet as Sam finally got the door open. Sam walked in and saw their faces and instantly knew that he'd interrupted again.

"We should… uh… keep on investigating. A few magicians are in the auditorium downstairs." He said awkwardly, looking anywhere but at them.

"Then I suppose we'd better go." Dean snapped, picking up his jacket and pulling it on.

Elena bit her lip and slid off of the bed, pulling on her jacket and grabbing her purse.

"I'll go too, I can just watch the show while you interrogate but I don't want to be stuck in here." She said, buttoning the jacket up.

* * *

When they got to the auditorium, they saw three older men sitting at two of the tables and Jeb Dexter sitting at another table with his camera team.

"It's a lame gig. I'm in a fleabag hotel doing this man-of-the-people crap, and freaking Criss Angel's in Vegas doing Cirque du Soleil! That should have been mine!" Jeb complained loudly, glaring down at the table.

Dean approached the tables with the three older men with Sam following him closely. Jeb caught sight of Elena and a slow grin bloomed across his face as he stood and turned to his camera team.

"All right, boys, get it in gear, I don't got all day." He said, winking at her as he stood..

Dean and Sam crouched behind one of the men and Elena sat behind them, pretending as though she was looking around in awe.

"You Vernon Haskell?" Dean asked.

"Who's asking?" Vernon questioned, turning back to raise an eyebrow at the boys.

"Federal agents. Ulrich and Hefield."

They pulled out their badges and showed them to the men.

"Looking into the death of Patrick Vance." Dean said.

Jeb dropped into the seat across from one of men who was at a table alone, interrupting Dean and causing them all to glare at him.

"I'm Jeb Dexter. This is Devil Twist. We're chilling at the International Magicians' Convention, which is a dope chance to tip my hat to the wicked cats who came before me. Smoking hot effect last night, Jim." Jeb said at the camera, nodding at the man.

"Jay." The older man corrected.

"Huh?" Jeb asked, looking confused.

"My name is Jay." He said.

"Yeah, whatever. We can loop it later." Jeb waved off.

"What a douchebag." Vernon scoffed

"Couldn't agree more." Dean nodded in agreement, pulling out the tarot card that they'd found in Vance's hotel room. "Is, uh… this familiar to you?"

"Should it be?" Vernon asked, turning it over several times before handing it back to Dean.

"Well, I heard that you used tarot cards in your act." Sam threw in.

"My act?" Vernon laughed, shaking his head. "That was a long time ago. I haven't touched a deck in years, you know..."

"Do you know someone that might use them now?" Sam asked.

"Well, there was a guy down on Bleeker Street." Vernon said, looking at his friend.

"Oh, yeah. He peddles that kind of specialty stuff. The name's Charlie, by the way." the other man said,

"Did he have a problem with Vance?" Dean asked the two men.

"Matter of fact, Vance crossed him about a year ago. Probably cost him fifty grand in royalties." Vernon said.

Charlie nodded in agreement.

"You know the exact address?" Dean questioned.

"426 Bleeker." Vernon said.

"Ask for Chief." Charlie threw in.

"Chief. Thank you." Dean said, standing up and looking at Sam first, then Elena.

* * *

Dean and Elena left Sam behind at the hotel to research the tarot card. Their hands were loosely entangled as they walked down Bleeker St. When they reached the address, Dean leaned forward to knock on the door. The chain link door swung open, revealing a strange looking young man who eyed them both strangely.

"We're, uh, here to see Chief." Dean said, peeking behind him.

The man raised his eyebrows before stepping aside to allow them in. They followed him downstairs to a dark room.

"Stay here. Don't touch anything." He instructed them before leaving.

Elena and Dean stared around the strange room. She noticed the graffiti and walked away from Dean to study it as the thud of a loud bass filtered through the walls. The door swung open and they both turned to face it though Elena was hidden by the shadows. A large man walked in wearing all leather and carrying a flogger. Her eyes widened and her hands flew up to clap over her mouth. He slapped the flogger in his hand a few times.

"You are really gonna get it tonight, big boy." The man, most likely Chief, said.

It suddenly dawned on Elena what was happening and she bit her lip painfully to hold back her laughter.

"There's been a misunderstanding. I, uh, think I've been had." Dean said, holding his hand up in surrender as he looked around for Elena.

"Oh, you ain't been had till you been had by the Chief." The man promised.

Elena bit down harder, drawing blood as Dean frowned at the man, not amused by the situation.

"Oh, and before we get started, what's your safeword?" Chief asked, pausing the act for a moment to stare at Dean seriously.

She couldn't help it anymore. Her laughter bubbled out of her throat and the large man looked around with confused eyes.

"Well… I haven't done a couple in a while." Chief said, eyeing Elena with interest.

Dean darted forward and grabbed Elena's hand, dragging her past the large S&M obsessed man and up the stairs. Her entire body was shaking with laughter by the time they made it outside. The pealing giggles filled the night air as they hurried away from the horrible place.

"That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever had to face." Dean said, not looking back at the building.

"That… was… hilarious!" Elena choked out, her face turning red with the force of her laughter.

Dean gave her a sideways glare but couldn't help but smile at the pure joy in her eyes and the bright smile on her face. When they got back to the hotel, Sam was standing outside with his hands in his pockets.

"Find anything interesting?" he asked as they walked up to Sam outside of the hotel.

"What? Uh, no. You?" Sam replied, looking at them.

"Nothing I want to talk about, or think about, ever again." Dean said, shuddering as Elena giggled again and launched into everything that happened at 426 Bleeker St.

* * *

The next day, after nothing happened at the performances that night, they busied themselves with interviewing random people at the convention. Once all of the magicians except for the three old men and Jeb Dexter were interviewed, they regrouped in the hotel room at about three in the afternoon.

"We need to interview the douchebag. For all we know, it's that eyeliner'd freak doing all this." Dean said, sounding annoyed by the mere mention of the guy.

"Well, I saw him in the bar when we walked in a few minutes ago. I think we all know that he won't respond to either of you." Elena said.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It means, my feminineness is being put to use." Elena said, grinning at him as she stood and grabbed her bag.

"You're going to flirt a confession out of the guy?" Dean scoffed.

"It's better and much less messy than beating it out of him." she replied, kissing his forehead before walking into the bathroom.

She emerged thirty minutes later wearing a black coat this. Her shoes were black and strappy and her hair was fell down her back in curly waves.

"Meet me in the bar in thirty minutes. I'll have something by then." She said confidently, turning to walk out of the room.

* * *

Dean barely gave Elena twenty minutes before he dragged Sam downstairs to see what was going on. When they saw the scene before them, Dean's face turned red and his hands curled into fists. Elena was sitting very close to Jeb and he was showing her a card trick. Elena let out a pealing laugh as the magician said something with a smirk. Dean barreled for the table as Sam followed him to make sure his brother didn't do anything rash like kill Jeb Dexter. When they got to the table, Elena and Jeb looked up at them.

"Oh, these are my bosses, the ones I told you about. They are going to do a brother act." Elena said, nodding as she grinned up at them.

"Nice to meet you." Jeb said, his attention turning back to Elena.

"I'm going to go get a drink. You three should bond. I'm sure you have plenty to talk about, being magicians and all." Elena said with sparkling eyes as she stood.

Dean finally noticed her dress and watched as she walked off, the shirt skirt swaying around her legs. As she walked over to the bar, Jeb's eyes followed her as well.

"I hope you two brothers don't mind, but I am so going to fuck your assistant." Jeb said, a sly grin forming on his face.

Both of their eyes widened and fury took over their faces, proving that Sam and Dean did, in fact, mind. The older brother stood and grabbed the front of Jeb's shirt before slamming his fist into his face.

"I do mind." He spat as the magician fell to the floor.

"Shit, man!" Jeb cursed, pushing himself up to his knees.

Elena hurried back over with wide eyes without ordering a drink.

"What happened?" she demanded, looking down at the floor where Jeb was clutching his bleeding nose and up at Sam and Dean.

"The son of a bitch deserved it." Dean growled, glaring down at the puny man.

"He did." Sam agreed.

"Sorry, dude. I didn't know the bitch was yours." Jeb spat before turning to stomp off.

Elena stopped Dean from following him with her hands on his arms, forcing him to face her.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"He said something he shouldn't have said about you. It pissed me off." Dean said, breathing heavily.

She stared up at him for a moment before biting her lip.

"You were jealous." Elena murmured as Sam drifted off, recognizing the look in her eyes.

Dean shook his head, stubbornly pulling her to him and pressing a passionate kiss to her lips.

"I wasn't jealous. I knew that Jeb Dexter asshole could never have you because you are all mine." He growled possessively.

"I like the sound of that." she said with a wink, entwining their hands as they turned to walk with Sam to the auditorium once more.

"Good." Dean nodded.

* * *

The auditorium was slowly filling up with people for Jay's show. They immediately spotted Vernon and Charlie standing at the back murmuring quietly.

"The Chief, huh?" Dean questioned, glaring at them as they walked up.

"What's the matter? Chief not your type?" Charlie asked, smirking at him.

"You know, I could have you both arrested for obstruction of justice." Dean reminded them, smirking back at the old men.

"How? You're no Fed." Vernon scoffed

"We con people for a living, son. Takes more than a fake badge to get past us." Charlie informed them.

Dean and Sam exchanged glances as Elena rolled her eyes. They both laughed awkwardly and faced the men again.

"You got us. Yeah, we… we are actually… aspiring magicians." Dean nodded.

"Yeah, we… we came to the convention cause we thought we could learn something." Sam explained, sounding unsure of his own story.

"We already have an assistant and everything. This is our assistant." Dean said, gesturing back to Elena, who smiled at the gentlemen

"I didn't even know they were impersonating FBI agents. These boys just came to get some ideas for their new show." Elena said, keeping her charming smile on her face.

"Ooh, what kind of show?" Vernon asked.

"Well, it's… it's a…" Dean stammered.

"It's a brother act." Elena threw out.

"Yeah. Yeah, you know, with the rings and doves and... rings." Dean nodded, making both her and Sam roll their eyes.

"You want to learn something? Stick around." Charlie said, nodding to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you're about to witness is a feat so daring, so dangerous, even the great Houdini dared not attempt it. I give to you... the executioner!" Jay announced, gesturing widely as a noose dropped from the ceiling.

"Now, sir, as you can see, this jacket is the real deal." Jay said, referring to the straightjacket binding his arms as a man strapped him in with the noose tied around his neck.

"Thank you, sir. You may take your seat. Now, I will have one minute… sixty seconds… to escape certain death. Let's see if I can do it." Jay said as the curtains were pulled in front of him.

His silhouette was the only thing that was seen struggling to get out of the straightjacket.

"I don't think he's gonna make it." Dean said, alarmed as the clock ticked down.

Elena winced and grasped Dean's arm as the panic shot through her. The buzzer sounded and they all watched as Jay's body dropped through the small scaffold, the entire audience gasping. The assistant immediately ran out and yanked the curtains aside. Jay stood there looking unharmed with the straitjacket in his hands and a smile on his face.

"Oh! That was amazing! That was freakin' amazing!" Dean said, clapping along with the audience.

"That was... not humanly possible." Sam said, echoing Elena's thoughts.

* * *

"Looks like this guy Jay was a pretty big deal in the '70s." Sam said, looking at an article on the computer

"Which in magician land means what, exactly?" Dean asked as he reclined on the bed with Elena leaning into him.

Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly. After the last few days, and especially the amorous events of that day, she was pretty tired and needed a quick nap.

"Big enough to play Radio City Music Hall." Sam replied.

"What got him stuck in their 'where are they now' file?" the older brother asked as he stroked Elena's hair gently.

"He got old."

"Okay, so maybe incredible Jay is using real magic to stage a comeback." Dean suggested.

"It's possible. Some kind of spell that works a death transference." Sam nodded, typing quickly on the computer.

"How does the tarot card mix into it?" Dean questioned.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"Man... hope I die before I get old. Whole thing seems brutal, don't it?" Dean shook his head with a sigh.

"You think we will?" Sam asked, looking up from his computer suddenly.

"What?" Dean asked, looking away from Elena's face and over at him.

"Die before we get old." Sam asked.

As if their topic of conversation alerted her, Elena drifted out of sleep and heard them talking.

"Haven't we both already?" Dean replied.

"You know what I mean, Dean. I mean, do you think we'll still be chasing demons when we're sixty?"

"No, I think we'll be dead... for good." There was silence for a moment before Dean spoke again. "What? You want to end up like… like Travis? Huh? Or Gordon, maybe?"

"There's Bobby." Sam reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, there's a poster child for growing old gracefully." The older brother said, shaking his head.

"Maybe we'll be different, Dean." Sam said softly.

"What kind of Kool-Aid you drinking, man? Sammy, it ends bloody or sad. That's just the life." he said, making Elena sad with his talk.

She'd never heard them talking like this and now she was afraid that they always thought this way.

"What if we could win?" Sam asked.

"Win?" Dean questioned, confused at his statement.

"If there was a way we could just... put an end to all of it."

"Is there something going on you're not telling me?" Dean asked, suspicious all of the sudden.

"No." Sam said dismissively.

"Sammy…" Dean began.

"No. Look, I'm just saying...I just wish there was a way we could... go after the source. That's all. Cut the head off the snake." Sam sighed.

"Well, the problem with the snake is that it has a thousand heads. Evil bitches just keep piling out of the Volkswagen." Dean reminded him.

"Yeah. Guess you're right." Sam nodded, looking back at his computer.

"Why don't you go see if you can track down Jay? I'll see what I can dig up on this tarot card." Dean said, holding up the thing that was in his other hand.

Elena chose that moment to jerk 'awake' and look up at Dean.

"Hi." She said, smiling softly as she hid her inner turmoil that came from their conversation.

* * *

Elena wound up remaining in the room this time as they went out to investigate more. She simply sat there barely watching television as their conversation went through her head for the thousandth time. She agreed with Dean that Sam sounded as though something was going on that he wasn't telling them. And she couldn't help but dread the fact that she felt that it was connected to his psychic powers and Ruby.

"Hey." Sam said as him and Dean came walking in, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Maid found Jeb hanging from the ceiling fan. Police think it was a suicide." Dean

He pulled out another tarot card, this time of a hanged man.

"I beg to differ. Pulled a little sleight of hand myself." Dean said proudly, winking her and causing her to smile.

"On Dexter's body?" she asked.

"Yeah, so I'm thinking if this spell is a death transference, then these cards work like black magic targets." Dean nodded

"Any connection between the victims?" Elena asked.

"Jeb was a total douche bag to Jay yesterday." He said.

"What about the first vic? Uh, Vance?" Sam questioned.

"Asked around. Apparently, Vance was heckling Jay at the bar the day he was killed." Dean confirmed, sitting on the bed and pulling off his jacket.

"Okay, so Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the table of death..." Sam trailed off.

"… and Vance takes 10 swords to the chest." Dean said.

"Then Jay slips a noose and Jeb doesn't. Hell of a trick." Sam sighed, collapsing into a chair.

"Yeah, I think it's time we had a little chat with Jay. Any luck tailing him?" Dean asked.

"He slipped me." Sam said, looking embarrassed.

"He's a sixty-year-old." Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"He's a magician." Sam reminded him defensively.

* * *

They all went down to the bar to see if they could catch sight of Jay. Elena ordered a glass of wine again. When Jay walked through the door and headed for the elevators.

"We got him. You stay here and keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Dean said, jumping up.

Elena cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Please?" he asked before pressing a soft kiss to her lips and smiling as he pulled away.

"Better." She nodded, smiling back before they ran off.

She kept her attention around her to see if anything happened but after thirty minutes nothing did. Finally Dean and Sam came running out of the elevator and looked around the lobby wildly.

Jay came running up behind them as two policemen walked into the lobby.

"Oh shit." Elena muttered as the magician's attention focused on the cops.

"That's them! Those are the two nut jobs that just broke into my room!" Jay shouted, pointing at Sam and Dean.

* * *

Elena sighed as she walked out of the hotel room. Sam and Dean were at the police station. They urged her to remain at the hotel and figure out a way to get Jay to believe them so that he would drop the charges and they could finish the case. She was currently in the auditorium. She held up her long dress as she walked down the steps. Jay was about to do another show and she was chewing on her lip nervously. The magician himself was talking to Charlie just aside from the stage with a worried expression on his face.

Finally, Jay climbed onto the table and did his own introduction. There was a slight tremor in his voice and he seemed genuinely terrified to do his own trick. Finally he lay down on the 'table of death' with the swords once more. Charlie walked forward to light the rope holding the plate of swords up before going backstage. The curtain closed around him and the swords dropped after a few moments, causing Elena to jump along with the rest of the audience. Jay ripped the curtain aside with a nervous smile a second later.

"Oh my god, somebody call 911!" A woman screamed from backstage.

Elena launched forward and to the stage, climbing up on it without caring what was going on. Jay reached the backstage area at the same time she did. Charlie was lying on the ground with blood seeping through his clothing and his eyes were wide open and surprised. Jay let out a choking noise and stumbled backwards. She turned to steady him, looking into his eyes.

"You need to release my friends, they can help stop this. You need help." She said, squeezing his upper arms tightly.

Jay stared at her for a moment before nodding with panicked eyes.

* * *

Elena waited impatiently in the lobby with Jay for Dean and Sam to show up. When they walked through the doors, she sighed with relief and started forward to hug them both.

"Jay. Thanks for dropping the charges." Sam sighed, holding his hand out to shake Jay's

"You mind telling us why you did it?" Dean asked, as they didn't get any background on anything.

"We have to talk." Jay said, looking at Elena for help.

She nodded, reassuring him that he was doing the right thing.

"I was just a kid when we first met. All I knew was how to cheat at cards. Charlie got me out of more scrapes than I can count. Hell, I would have been dead by the age of twenty if it hadn't been for him. He was more than my friend. He was my brother." Jay said as they sat at a table in the bar.

He was sipping on a small glass of bourbon as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jay." Sam said solemnly, his hands folded on the table.

"Look, I should have listened to you guys when you told me that my show was killing people." The magicians said, shaking his head.

"Well, you weren't the one pulling the trigger." Dean assured him.

"Yeah, but someone did, and I want to find out who did this to Charlie, so I'll do whatever you guys say. Just tell me what to do." Jay pleaded.

"Jay, whoever's doing this... they like you. They're probably close to you. Did Charlie and Vernon get along?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"No. No, it's not Vernon." He said, shaking his head.

"Jay, he's the only one that makes sense." Elena said softly, reaching out to take the poor man's hand.

"Charlie and Vernon were your family, Jay." Sam said.

"And now Charlie's gone." Dean finished.

"Yeah, but... they butted heads sometimes, but Vernon could never do something like this." Jay said, looking at them with wide eyes as if begging with them to agree with him.

"See, the thing about real magic is it's a whole lot like crack. People do surprising things once they get a taste of it." Dean explained.

"You better be damn sure about this. Vernon's all I got left." Jay warned them.

* * *

It was agreed that Elena would stay with Jay while Dean and Sam went upstairs to check Vernon's room when they drew him out. They were on the stage of the auditorium where the table of death was still set up.

"Just talked to the head of the convention. Headliner gig is yours." Vernon said, proudly.

He looked at Elena with a confused face as Jay turned around to look at him.

"What? You don't want it?" Vernon

"A day ago, if you told me I'd be standing on this stage... no, I can't do it, Vernon." Jay said, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Vernon asked, confused at Jay's refusal.

"Charlie's gone." He said sadly, looking up at Vernon with devastated eyes.

"Charlie would have wanted you to go on. This is your shot. It's our shot." Vernon urged him.

Elena bit her lip to keep her mouth closed as she watched the two interacting.

"Really? This is what Charlie would have wanted? Charlie's dead." Jay snapped, angry all of the sudden.

"Hey, he was my friend, too, you know." Vernon reminded him defensively.

"It's a hell of a way to treat a friend." Jay scoffed.

"Again, what are you talking about?" the other man asked, sounding alarmed and confused.

Elena squinted at him, wondering if he was still putting on an act or if they were completely wrong.

"You killed him, didn't you? And for what? So that I… so that we could be back on top?" Jay demanded.

"That's insane. No, you're scaring me." Vernon said with a chuckle before becoming serious again.

"First it was Vance, then it was Jeb. Even if you thought you were doing it for me, how in God's name could you kill Charlie?" Jay demanded.

"Oh, you are crazy." Vernon said, shaking his head.

"You used me, and you used my act to do this to him. If you think…"

Jay was cut off by someone else walking on the stage.

"I wouldn't be so hard on him, Jay. He didn't do it." the man said, shuffling a deck of tarot cards in his hands.

"Sweet Mary and Joseph." Vernon breathed, staring at the man as if he'd seen a ghost.

Elena wasn't sure of what to do without knowing who the hell this man was.

"Charlie." Jay said, his eyes as wide as saucers.

She stared between all of the men, wondering what was going on and really wishing that she knew what to do in this situation.

"It's really me, Jay." The younger version of Charlie assured him.

"How the hell..." Vernon trailed off.

"God, you forget what it feels like to be young. It's amazing." Charlie said, looking down at his hands and back up at his two old friends.

"How old are you?" Jay demanded, looking panicked.

"Oh, it depends on what you mean by old. Right now, technically, about twenty-eight, but I've been around a lot longer than that." the man shrugged.

His eyes flashed to Elena and she glared back at him, wishing that Dean and Sam would come to the auditorium already.

"How long?" Jay questioned, bringing Charlie's attention back to him.

"Long enough to have shelled for Barnum. And he gave me something." Charlie explained.

"What's that?" Jay asked.

"The grimoire… a book of real magic. At first, I thought it was a scam, but then I tried one of the spells, and it worked. In fact, they all worked. So when I got to the end and there was one for immortality..." the man trailed off.

"My god, Charlie." Vernon said with a shocked tone.

"And my show, the things that I can do." Jay asked.

"Different spell. But it gives you a little taste of what's possible." Charlie said, holding up the deck of tarot cards.

Vernon reached out to take them but Charlie pulled them away.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't touch those, Vernon. They're… they're still radioactive." He warned Vernon.

"You killed Vance and Jeb Dexter." Jay accused Charlie.

"What, you think this is a parlor game? You were being humiliated by those punks. A washed-up old man who couldn't even defend himself." Charlie said, getting defensive and a little angry.

Elena was quickly trying to figure out a way to attack Charlie without him tarot carding her.

"You used me to do these terrible things." Jay said, disgusted.

"I used them to give you a gift. And you wanted it, Jay. I saw it in your eyes." Charlie said, smiling at the thought.

"No, I never wanted this." Jay said, shaking his head.

"You were ready to kill yourself. I saved your life." Charlie reminded the old man, making both Elena and Vernon look at him with surprise.

"Is that right, Jay?" Vernon asked.

"I was there for you, like I've always been. Like I'll always be. Come with me, both of you. You think the first time around was good? The second time's even better. All the know how, none of the aches and pain." Charlie offered.

Elena glanced around, still trying to come up with a plan.

"No, I won't do this. I won't."

"I've never made this offer before. But, then again, I've never had friends like the two of you before. Let me do this for you." Charlie said pleadingly.

"And who else has to die so that we can live forever? What's the price tag on immortality? This isn't right, Charlie, what you're doing. You know that. Somewhere, you know that." Jay said desperately.

"I know I don't want to come back alone, to start all over, alone." Charlie shrugged.

"Jay... we can be young again." Vernon breathed, sounding awed by the thought.

Elena began inching towards the group, cursing the fact that she was wearing heels.

"The three of us together… vital and alive...forever." Charlie offered.

"Not so fast! I ain't Guttenberg, and this ain't Cocoon." Dean said as him and Sam bursted into the auditorium. "Immortality. That's a neat trick."

Elena sighed with relief.

"It's not a trick. It's magic." Charlie said without missing a beat, turning to face them.

A noose appears behind Dean, drops around his neck and lifts him. Elena cried out in panic as Sam pulled out his gun and shot Charlie. Charlie easily caught the bullet in his teeth, causing all of them to stare at him with shock.

"Hey, bullet catch… been working on that." Charlie said with a wink at his friends before he disappeared and reappeared by the sword table.

"Get him!" Dean growled as he struggled with the rope.

"Let him go… now!" Sam demanded, pointing the gun at Charlie as he ran up onto the stage.

"Just leave me and my friends alone. All right, I will give it up… the spells, the hexes. This is the last time. I promise." Charlie said, holding his hands up in surrender.

He darted forward and pushed Sam back onto the sword table, where manacles snapped into place and the swords hovered over him threateningly. Elena darted forward and wrapped her hands around Charlie from behind.

"Here's a hint, magician. Don't turn your back on the strongest one." She whispered, yanking him away from Sam and turning him around to wrap her hand around his throat.

He grabbed her hand and attempted to move it but she reached down and ripped it off, throwing it away effortlessly.

"The assistant turns out to be the star of the show?" he gasped as her hand squeezed him tighter.

"I'm not just a woman in a dress who is supposed to look pretty." Elena shot back.

She looked up at Dean who was turning purple as he struggled with the rope.

"Let him down, now." She demanded, turning back to look at Charlie.

"Here's a hint, darling. If you want to defeat the big bad magician, don't get distracted by your boy toy." Charlie said before a noose dropped and wrapped around her neck as well.

Before it could lift her into the air, a bloodstain appeared on Charlie's stomach. He turned to see Jay standing there with a dagger buried in his stomach. He pulled it out before revealing the tarot cards in his pocket. Charlie reached to his own jacket and pulled out a tarot card that had been placed in it.

"Jay... you picked these strangers over me?" Charlie asked, sounding shocked as he collapsed onto the floor.

The manacles released Sam and the nooses let go of both Elena and Dean. They ran to Dean and supported him as he gulped in air greedily.

"You okay?" Sam asked, as Elena pressed her hand to his neck where the rope burns were prominent.

She concentrated and healed him almost immediately.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right." Dean said a little hoarsely, clutching at Elena's hand.

They all glanced up at the stage where Jay was staring down at Charlie's body and Vernon was looking at him with horror.

* * *

"Hey, Jay. We wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday." Dean said as they sat in the bar the next day.

"I killed my best friend yesterday, and you want to thank me?" Jay said miserably, nursing his fourth drink.

"Where's Vernon?" Sam asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's gone. He said he didn't want to speak to me again after what I did to Charlie." Jay said, staring down at the bar.

"Listen, Jay... you know Charlie was never gonna give up what he was doing. Ever. You did the right thing." Dean assured him.

"Are you sure about that? You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead... because I did the right thing. He offered me a gift, and I just threw it back in his face. So now I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone. What's so right about that?" Jay asked, looking up at them.

"Jay... your cards." The bartender said, handing him a regular deck of cards.

"Throw them away." Jay dismissively before turning to walk away.

"Well, I don't know about you, but... I could go for a beer." Dean said, turning to Elena and Sam.

"I'm gonna take a walk." Sam said, suddenly sounding as miserable as Jay.

They both watched as he turned to walk out of the hotel.

"I'm getting worried. There's something going on with him, right?" Dean asked for confirmation.

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out and we'll help him, okay?" Elena said, pulling him in for a light kiss.

"You know, the case is over… and Sammy's going for a walk." Dean said, looking up at Elena with suggestive eyes.

"Mmm… and we do have an hour before we have to check out." Elena said with a grin, pulling him backwards towards the elevator.

* * *

Sam sighed as he opened the door to Ruby's car and climbed in. When he shut the door, he stared straight ahead with a serious expression.

"Okay. I'm in." he said emotionlessly.

"What changed your mind?" Ruby questioned.

"I don't want to be doing this when I'm an old man." Sam answered, a hardened look on his face.

* * *

Elena laughed loudly as Dean pushed her shirt up and began pressing kisses all over her stomach.

"Stop it tickles!" she cried, attempting to push him away.

"Oh you're ticklish now, huh?" Dean said, his voice muffled.

"Dean!" she shrieked as his fingers attacked her sides and she squirmed underneath him.

Dean finally surfaced and grinned down at her. Elena laid back on the bed, a content look on her face as she gazed up at him

"So… you got anymore dresses I need to see?" Dean asked.

"Only if you admit you get jealous." Elena shot back with a raised eyebrow.

Dean stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and pulling her into a deep kiss. Both oblivious, for the moment, to what was happening outside of the walls of that hotel room, they were both very happy. And they were certain that, no matter what happened from then on, they were there for each other.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! I just wanted to go easy on Dean and Elena for a while.**

**Next: The brothers find themselves at an old high school of theirs for a hunt. Elena learns more about their years growing up as they look for the source of several gruesome incidents.**


	18. Let Me In the Wall You've Built Around

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Dust to Dust – The Civil Wars**

**A few things:**

**1. This chapter takes place about a week and a half after the previous one. Just to keep up with timeline. It's about mid-January at this point in the story.**

**2. This is very similar to the original chapter but some things have changed.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena hummed to herself as she danced around the motel room packing her belongings. Sam left to get snacks for the road trip to the next hunt and Dean sat in a chair watching her as she threw everything in her two bags.

"Where are we going next?" she asked when everything was packed and by the door.

She walked over to Dean and moved to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Indiana." He said, sounding less than thrilled about it.

"What's wrong with Indiana?" she asked, confused about his unhappiness.

"Nothing. We're just… well we're going to a school we've were enrolled in before when we were kids and Dad was hunting." Dean said, looking down at his hands.

Elena didn't say anything. It was very rare that she ever heard either of the brothers mention their father.

"Well… are you going to be all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. None of that emotional crap." Dean said, shaking his head as he moved to stand up.

Elena sighed and reached out, turning him around to look at her.

"You're allowed to experience emotional crap, you know that, right?" she questioned.

He shrugged and looked at a spot on the wall behind her. She reached up and put either of her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"I'll be here for you, no matter what emotional crap you're going to try to ignore." She said softly, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly.

Her phone rang and she moved away from Dean to answer it. It was Sam telling them that it was time to go. She laced her fingers with Dean's as they walked out of the hotel room.

"If all else fails, we can sneak behind the bleachers." She said with a grin as they climbed into the elevator.

"I'll hold you to that." he promised her.

* * *

When they arrived in the small town in Indiana, they headed straight for the police station to learn what was going on. They stopped a gas station to change into FBI clothing. The cashier gave them all strange looks when they walked into the bathrooms wearing casual, dingy clothing and came out looking like they belonged on Wall Street. When they walked into the police station, Sam and Dean flashed their badges and immediately received an official report on what happened at Truman High School.

"The girl, April Williams, attacked another girl, Taylor Stiles, in the bathroom of the high school. She held her head in the toilet until she drowned. Tells the police that she was possessed." Dean recited as they walked towards the Impala.

"Sounds to me like a pretty violent event." Sam said.

"We should probably talk to April Williams, see what happened from her point of view." Elena suggested.

"Good idea. She's at a psychiatric hospital about ten minutes from here." Dean said as they climbed in the car.

When they pulled up, Sam and Dean both looked back at Elena.

"What?" she questioned.

"It was your idea to come talk to her. So… go talk." Dean said, gesturing to the building.

She stared at both of them with a furrowed brow and a frown.

"Elena, this girl is sixteen and most likely freaked out and emotional and possibly a psycho killer. You can probably speak to her better than either of us can." Sam said.

She sighed and moved to climb out of the car, wondering how she was going to get in to see April Williams.

"Hey, Bobby had this made a long time ago in case it ever became necessary. It'll probably work great in this situation." Dean said, handing her an ID.

Elena read over it with a shocked look.

"You are just ready for everything." She said, reading the name.

Charlotte Whittaker, Grief Counselor.

"Yep!" Dean agreed, nodding back at her.

"If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, I've been murdered by the possibly psycho, freaked out, emotional, sixteen year old killer." Elena sighed sarcastically, climbing out of the backseat and adjusting her shirt and pants before walking into the psychiatric center.

She really hoped that she could pass of as a grief counselor instead of the eighteen-year-old that she was.

"Hello." The receptionist said brightly, grinning up at Elena.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte Whittaker. I'm a grief counselor and I'm here to speak to April Williams." She said, sliding the ID across the desk to the woman.

Her cheery smile faltered and she reached towards the phone.

"Dr. Fischer, can you come to the reception area please?" the receptionist asked, her cheery voice a bit forced. "If you wait a moment, the doctor will be here."

"Thank you." Elena nodded, taking her ID back and moving to the side.

Moments later, a man in his fifties in a pair of dark grey slacks and a white button down shirt, tie, and a white lab coat walked in.

"Can I help you?" he asked, catching sight of Elena and assuming that she was why he was called up.

"Yes, I'm Charlotte Whittaker. I'm a grief counselor and I'm here to see April Williams." She said, handing him her ID.

"Why do you need to speak to her?" he asked as he perused her identification card.

"I'm doing the grief counseling at the high school and I normally like to talk to everyone involved the traumatic event. That includes Miss Williams herself. It will only take me a few minutes. I wish to better equip myself to deal with the students who might be confused or depressed about what happened to Taylor Stiles." Elena lied easily, as if it came naturally to her.

The doctor looked her over before smiling and handing back her ID.

"Miss Williams is in the recreation room. Right this way." he gestured for Elena to follow him.

When they got there, Elena noticed that the young woman was the only one there, sitting in the corner at a table looking miserable.

"If you don't mind, Dr. Fischer, I can introduce myself." Elena said, easing past him and walking to the table.

"April?" she said, looking down at the young woman.

"Who are you?" she asked in a whisper, looking scared.

"My name is Charlotte Whittaker. I'm just here to talk to you." she said, sliding into a chair across from her.

"I've talked to a lot of people." April sighed, looking down at her hands.

"I know and I know that it must be very overwhelming for you." she said softly, pulling a notebook out of her purse.

"I'm not talking about it anymore. I already told the cops and the doctors. No one believes me. They think I'm crazy." The young woman said, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm a little bit more open-minded than most. April, why did you tell the police you were possessed?" Elena asked.

"It doesn't matter." April shrugged.

"It matters to me." she replied.

April stared at her for a moment as if she was deciding whether to trust her. She bit her lip before shaking her head and focusing on her again.

"When I… when I hurt Taylor, I was there, in my head, but I couldn't control my body. I could see what I was doing, but I couldn't stop. I just wanted to stop. I'm sorry." The young woman said quickly, panicked as if she thought that Elena would freak out and blame her.

"You don't need to apologize. April, some of the kids at school told the police that you and Taylor didn't get along." She said, writing down what the girl was saying in her notebook.

"Well, yeah, but I never wanted to kill her. Never. Do you believe me?" April asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, April, I do. Just a couple more questions." Elena said, steeling herself with the strange reaction that always seemed to come from asking these questions.

"On the day this happened, did you happen to… smell anything?" she asked.

"Anything... like what?" April asked, confused.

"Like rotten eggs or... sulfur?"

"Um… no." the girl said, shaking her head.

"Okay. Did you notice any black smoke?" Elena asked, sighing as April looked freaked out.

"No, I didn't. Why are you asking this?" she demanded.

"I needed to determine if you were hallucinating. Sometimes violent outbursts are caused by hallucinations and these visions can seem pretty real. You can smell things, like sulfur, or see something that might make you think you were possessed. I'm just exploring every avenue here, April." Elena said reassuringly, hoping that she sounded legitimate.

April quieted and answered the rest of her questions with short, stilted answers. When Elena walked out of the psychiatric facility, she dreaded the news that she had to deliver to the brothers.

"So?" Dean asked as she climbed into the car.

"I think she's telling the truth. I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically… kind of sounds like demonic possession to me." Elena said as she closed the door behind her.

"Kind of?" Sam asked.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur." She said with a frown.

"Maybe it's not a demon. I mean, kids can be vicious." Dean shrugged.

"Well, I mean, we're already here. Might as well check out the school." Sam said, looking at Dean.

"Right. The school." Dean mumbled, turning to face the front.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Truman High, home of the Bombers." Dean recited, sounding as though he'd rather go anywhere else.

"What's your point?" Sam asked.

"I mean, we went there, like... for a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?" Dean asked, scoffing lightly.

"I'm not. I just think it's worth looking into." Sam shrugged.

"All right, well, what's our cover? FBI? Homeland Security? Swedish exchange students?" the older brother scoffed.

"Don't worry. I got an idea." Sam said, nodding.

"Okay." Dean shrugged as they drove away from the facility.

* * *

They immediately checked into a hotel and decided to pursue the high school thing the next day. Sam went out to get them all food from a diner as Elena and Dean elected to remain in the room.

"So, you wanna tell me what else you have against this school?" Elena asked, lying back on the bed and looking over at Dean, who was sitting on the couch.

"I don't have anything against the school." He shrugged, sipping on a beer.

Elena simply raised her eyebrow.

"Fine, it just… it wasn't a good experience." He said dismissively.

"Tell me?" she requested, turning over on her stomach to face him with her head cradled in her hands.

Dean sighed and launched into the story.

* * *

_Dean couldn't help but sense the irony in his father's choice of music as they pulled up to the new high school. __**Long, Long Way from Home**__ by Foreigner beat out of the speakers as he opened the door and climbed out to face Truman High School._

"_Thanks, Dad." He said as Sam climbed out._

"_I'll be back in two weeks, you hear? Behave yourselves and try not to attract too much attention. See you soon." John said gruffly before driving off._

_They started walking towards the school, Sam clutching at the straps of his backpack as they did so._

"_Got your lunch? Books? Butterfly knife?" Dean listed, looking down at his little brother._

"_Yeah, Dean." Sam sighed._

"_You okay?" he asked, worried about him._

"_Sure." Sam shrugged._

"_Sammy..." he began, knowing how much his brother hated when their dad just dropped them off and disappeared from town for a couple of weeks._

"_I mean, look, this is the third school we've been to this year, and it's only November. I'm just sick of always being the new kid." Sam ranted, gesturing up at the high school._

"_You'll be fine. If anyone gives you any trouble, you let me know. Relax. Dad said this hunt will take him two weeks, tops. As soon as he gets back, we're out of here." Dean assured him._

"_To another school. Awesome." Sam said sarcastically, speeding up to stomp into the school._

_Dean sighed and shook his head as he walked inside behind his little brother._

* * *

"So Sam was never too happy with the whole, being dropped off at school thing, huh?" Elena said, looking up at Dean.

"Nah, he wasn't. And to be honest, neither was I. I mean, I tried to act all tough and cool about it. I truly wanted to feel like I was the king of the world. No parents, curfew, no one to stop me from using my fake ID to buy beer or my fancy fleabag motel room to lure hot teenage girls from the high school into my bed. But it sucked. Every time it got worse and worse. But this time was especially bad for both of us." Dean said.

* * *

_Dean stood in front of the class as the teacher, an old bird with a stern face and an annoyingly high-pitched voice, introduced him._

"_Class, say hello to our new student, Dean Winchester. Dean, is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?" The teacher asked, turning to face him._

"_Not really, sweetheart." Dean said with a smirk, turning to her._

"_Take your seat." The teacher said with narrowed eyes, pointing out at the desks._

_Dean sauntered down the aisle and took a seat, pushing his hands into his dad's leather jacket that he was wearing._

"_Dean, where are your books?" the teacher asked when she noticed that he was empty handed._

"_Don't need 'em, sugar. Not gonna be here long enough anyway." Dean said cockily._

_He turned and noticed a hot blonde staring at him. He winked and she flushed slightly before smiling back at him._

* * *

"So really, you have always been a cocky bastard?" Elena laughed as she stood to join him on the couch.

Dean chuckled as well and accepted her into his arms as she curled into his side.

"I suppose I have. But have you seen my face? I've earned it." he said with a smirk.

Elena laughed and shook her head.

"You are full of it."

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Dean shrugged.

"So what else happened?" Elena questioned.

Dean was interrupted from answering by Sam walking in with the food.

"Did you forget the pie?" Dean demanded, jumping up to take the food from him.

"Dude, once again, I never forget the pie." Sam said with a roll of his eyes.

"Sam, Dean was just telling me about his experience at Truman. Do you have any story to tell as well?" Elena asked, putting him on the spot as she took her own food from the bag.

Sam shrugged and looked at Dean, who looked at him with a hesitant look, as if he didn't know whether Sam would tell Elena the story or not.

"I was a freshman…" he began.

* * *

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please say hello to Sam Winchester." The teacher, Mr. Wyatt, said to the classroom full of students._

"_Hi, Sam." The class all said at once._

"_Is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?" Mr. Wyatt asked Sam, turning to look at him._

"_Not really." Sam shrugged, not liking all the attention that was on it._

_He wasn't like Dean, he didn't thrive on it._

"_Okay. Uh, grab a seat." Mr. Wyatt said, gesturing to the desks._

_He walked down the aisle slowly, finding a desk and pulling his backpack off to put on it. As he did so, his knife fell out landed on the seat. He quickly grabbed it and shoved it back into the backpack._

"_Whoa! Is that yours?" the kid next to him said, his eyes wide as he stared at Sam._

_He shrugged and sat down, turning to face the front._

"_All right, gang... essay assignment." Mr. Wyatt announced._

"_Aw!" The class all chanted at once._

"_Yeah, yeah, my heart breaks for you." the teacher said sarcastically, turning to write instructions on the board as he spoke._

"_Hey... I'm Barry." The kid next to him whispered._

"_Sam." He whispered back._

"_Okay, now, I want three pages of your most memorable family experience. Just a reminder though, this is going to be worth half your final grade…" Sam's attention was taken away from the explanation by the kid who was sitting behind Barry and flicking his ear._

"_Leave him alone." He hissed._

"_Shh, I'm going for a record." The bigger kid said, ignoring Sam's command._

"_I don't care what you write about, or even how you write about it. I'm looking for the brutal, funny, maybe even painful, truth. OK everybody, any questions? OK, let's get started." Mr. Wyatt said, clapping his hands before sitting down at his own desk._

"_I said, leave him alone." Sam said, glaring at the boy._

"_You want to take his place... midget?" he demanded, glaring back at Sam._

"_Yeah. Sure." Sam agreed without thinking, knowing that he could beat up this bully if he absolutely had to._

* * *

"Hmm, challenging the school bully. How heroic of you." Elena said with a smile, causing Sam to smile back.

"Yeah, he was… uh, he was frustrating." he agreed.

Dean turning on the television and flipping through the channels interrupted them.

"Hey, Busty Asian Beauties." He said as he reached the more adult stations.

"No!" Elena and Sam both yelled, Elena snatching the remote from his hand and changing it as quickly as she could.

* * *

Elena's heels clicked on the floor as she walked through the hallway. When she walked into the school office, everyone who was milling around looked up at her.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes, I'm the grief counselor." Elena said, holding out her ID card.

"I didn't realize that a grief counselor was coming. I am Principal Woods." A man said, stepping forward.

"I was contacted by a concerned parent. I hope you won't mind if I keep the name confidential." Elena said with a solemn smile.

"Of course. As long as we're not being charged for this." the man said.

"I do not charge for schools who have been through a trauma." She confirmed.

"Great. How would you like to get started?" he asked.

"I need an office and I will start with talking to the closest friends of both Taylor Stiles and April Williams. They are the ones who are the closest to the two girls and are most likely the hardest hit. If there are any other students who have been exhibiting disturbing behavior since the incident, I will need to talk to them as well." Elena said, looking around the office.

"That will be a simple task with Miss Stiles but... well, April Williams didn't have any friends." the principal said with a smirk as some of the other staff tittered.

Elena turned her eyes on them, narrowing them dangerously.

"Mr. Woods, if you ever wonder why your students are shoving each other's heads into toilets, I would look at your own behavior as a catalyst. The fact that you would laugh at a poor damaged girl's misfortune is horrifying and sadistic." She snapped angrily, turning to walk to the office with his name on the door. "I'll take your office, if you don't mind."

* * *

Elena rubbed her forehead as she walked down the hallway on a break. As much as she hated to admit it because it made her sound old despite the fact that she was eighteen, but these kids were exhausting her. She hoped to God and all his angels that she was never like that as a high school student. It was easy to fool people into thinking she was an actual counselor though. The principal kept giving her glares after she told him off about making fun of April Williams. Ahead of her, she saw a tall, shaggy haired janitor walking down the hallway pushing a cart. It wasn't difficult to figure out who he was.

When he stared into a classroom sadly before moving on, she frowned at his look and sped up to see what was wrong. Elena saw the name **Mr. Wyatt** on the door as she passed. She remembered hearing his name in Sam's story and wondered what about the teacher made the younger Winchester sad. She saw him walk ahead and leave the cart behind.

"Hey, Sam!" she hissed, trying to catch up with him but eventually slipping off her heels and running to walk by his side.

"How are you doing?" she asked, looking up at him.

He smiled down at her.

"I'm a janitor." He replied.

"Could be worse. You could be part of the lunch crew and finally know what they put in that mystery meat." She said with a grin.

Sam let out a short laugh and shook his head as he threw his arm over her shoulders.

"How is counseling?" he asked as they walked towards the door.

"High schoolers are insane." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Shouldn't you still be in high school?" he murmured.

Elena squinted up at him.

"We don't talk about that." she hissed.

Sam laughed again and gestured towards the gymnasium.

"Well, then how about we go see how Dean is doing filling in as the physical education teacher?" Sam asked.

"Now that… is the best damn idea you've had all day." Elena said with a grin, hooking her arm through his and dragging him towards the gym.

They walked in to see the high school kids lined up and Dean pacing in front of them. He was wearing a white polo shirt and tight, short red shorts. A red athletic headband was wrapped around his head and he held a whistle in his hand. Elena and Sam took one look at him before clapping their hands over their mouths to keep their laughter in. He blew the whistle loudly and the teenagers all stood up a bit straighter.

"Today, you will have the honor of playing one of the greatest games ever invented. A game of skill, agility, cunning. A game with one simple rule... dodge." Dean said with all seriousness.

He picked up a ball and threw it to where it slammed straight into a student's stomach. Elena and Sam gasped with wide eyes.

"He didn't dodge." Elena muttered to Sam, who nodded.

"Sorry." Dean said, wincing at the student.

"Uh, Substitute Coach Roth..." a student said, raising his hand nervously.

"Yes?" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Ms. Boudreaux never let us play dodge ball." The kid informed him.

"Well, Ms. B's in Massachusetts getting married, so we're playing." He replied, grinning proudly.

"She says it's dangerous."

Dean blew his whistle loudly and stared at the student for a moment.

"Take a lap!" Dean commanded.

"But…" the boy began to argue before he turned to run around the gym.

Dean finally noticed them and threw the bag of dodgeballs at the kids.

"Go nuts." He told them before jogging over there.

"Having fun?" Sam asked, smirking at his brother.

"The whistle makes me their god." Dean said proudly, holding up the instrument of 'power'.

"Right. Nice shorts." Elena said, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

Her and Sam exchanged a look and began laughing again. Dean's eyes narrowed at them as they pointed at the short shorts. The students all looked at them with startled looks, probably wondering why a janitor, a substitute coach, and a counselor were all talking and why they were laughing at a disgruntled Dean.

"Find anything?" he asked gruffly, trying to end the laughter.

"I've been over the entire school twice. No sulfur." Sam said, still chuckling lightly.

"No sulfur, no demon. No demon, no case." Dean shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe I was wrong." Elena shrugged.

"Well, it happens to the best of us. I say we hit the road, huh? But after lunch… it's sloppy-joe day." Dean said, pointing at them.

The student groaned, running by them and holding his ribs tightly.

"Good hustle, Colby! Walk it off!" Dean yelled, clapping his hands as he returned to the class.

* * *

Once she left the gym with Sam, heading back to do more counseling interviews, Elena slid her shoes back on when they reached the hallway. They were walking back towards the office when they heard a sickly scream followed by several other screams. They both whirled around to see students running out of a classroom. Elena looked at Sam with wide eyes before they ran straight towards the classroom. When they got to the door, the first thing they saw was blood covering a desk and a male student hunched over screaming his head off. A student stood over him with blood on his face. He looked dazed for a moment before he began to faint.

Sam ran forward and caught the student before he hit the ground. Elena ran to the student who was already kneeling on the ground and cried out in shock when she saw his mangled hand. Her first reaction was to rip her sweater off and bend down, wrapping it around his hand and wrapping her arm around his shoulders as he sobbed. She looked up at Sam with wide eyes as he was still holding the other student up.

* * *

Elena sighed as she walked out of the auditorium.

"How's the nonviolence assembly going?" Sam asked as him and Dean pushed themselves off of the wall where they were waiting for her.

They were back in their normal clothing. Elena rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head.

"I just had to bullshit my way through a speech about talking about feelings instead of acting out in anger. Do you know how hard it is to talk about that legitimately when half of the audience are horny teenage boys who are mimicking groping me? Then the jackass principal kept talking about healthy displays of anger as if he was an expert on it. Then he glared at me throughout my entire speech. I think the guy has it out for me." she grumbled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Apparently, shoving a kid's arm into a Cuisinart is not a 'healthy display of anger'. So, the kid had ectoplasm leaking out his ear?" Dean asked Sam, throwing his arm over Elena's shoulders as they turned to walk down the hallway.

"Which only comes from a seriously pissed-off spirit. It's got to be ghost possession." Sam said, sounding vaguely triumphant.

"Yeah, but that's pretty rare." Dean said, still trying to prove that he was right.

"Yeah, but it happens. I mean, they get angry enough, they can take control of a person's body." Sam argued.

"Boys, boys, if you're gonna whip 'em out, at least let me leave the room first." Elena said with a roll of her eyes as they walked outside and towards the Impala.

"All right, so, what, we got a ghost in the building?" Dean sighed, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"Yeah, but where? I mean, there's no EMF. Maybe we could find out who it is, at least. You know, check and see if somebody died bloody around here or something." Sam shrugged.

"Way ahead of you. I had to break into the principal's office to get this. Oh, and FYI, three of the cheerleaders are legal. Guess which ones." Dean said, turning to grin at them.

Elena stopped short and ducked under his arm, glaring at him as he looked guiltily at her.

"I was just kidding." Dean said, smiling hesitantly at her.

She simply held out her hand for the information.

"So, there was only one death on campus. It was a suicide back in '98. Some kid named Barry Cook." He said as Elena read the same information.

Sam's head shot up and he looked between them with sad eyes.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked.

"I knew him. How did he die?" Sam sighed, looking dejected.

"He slit his wrists in the first-floor girls' bathroom." Dean said bluntly, causing Elena to shake her head at his lack of sympathy.

"That's where…" Elena trailed off.

"Right where the chick got swirleyed to death, exactly. So, what? This ghost is possessing nerds?" Dean asked.

"And using them to go after bullies, yeah." Sam nodded.

"Well, does that sound like Barry's M.O.?" Elena asked, folding up the piece of paper and handing it back to Sam.

"Barry had a hard time." Sam sighed.

* * *

_It was between classes and Sam was walking down the hall. He looked up in time to see Barry knocked down by a bigger upperclassman. He ran to him and helped him pick up his fallen books._

"_Thanks, Sam." Barry said softly, looking humiliated._

"_Great school." Sam said, looking around the people that were purposefully sidestepping the two._

"_I don't care. Three years, and I'm out of here. I'm going to Michigan State. They got the best vet program in the country." The other boy shrugged._

"_Do you like animals?" Sam asked, smiling at his friend._

"_They're a lot nicer than people." Barry said as an explanation as they stood to walk._

_Sam looked around in time to see his brother walking out of a closet with an attractive blonde holding his hand and both of them looking satisfied. It wasn't the first time Sam saw his brother in the janitor's closet with a girl and it wouldn't likely be the last._

"_Yo! Sammy!" Dean said, pointing at him before turning to walk off with the girl._

"_That's your brother with Amanda Heckerling? He's cool." Barry said, in awe of the older boy._

"_Yeah. He thinks so." Sam scoffed, shaking his head._

"_Hey, tough guy. I been looking for you. Still want to take Barry's place?" Dirk said, walking up with his arms crossed threateningly over his chest._

"_Get out of here, Barry." Sam said, pushing the smaller kid away from the bully._

"_I'll go get a teacher." Barry said quickly, turning to run off._

"_You want to go?" Dirk asked, smirking down at him._

"_I'm not gonna fight you, Dirk." Sam refused, shaking his head._

"_Why not? You chicken? Come on!" the boy said, shoving at Sam._

"_No." he refused, stumbling backwards but still refusing to fight him._

_Dirk reared back and hit Sam across the eye, causing him to fall down on the ground. Sam simply looked up at him unemotionally, trying to hold his anger at bay._

"_Get up! Get up! Come on! Get up!" Dirk taunted him, standing over him._

"_Hey, get back! Get back. That is enough." Mr. Wyatt said, pushing through the crowd to end the fight._

_Dirk turned to walk away and the teacher took off after him as Sam sighed and looked up at Barry, who was standing at the edge of the crowd looking panicked._

* * *

Sam finished his story just as they pulled up to the motel to find information on where Barry Cook was buried.

"I still don't know why you didn't kick that kid's ass right off the bat." Dean said as he opened the door for them.

"Because I was trying to be somewhat normal." Sam sighed as he walked inside first.

Elena hung back and looked up at Dean with a raised eyebrow.

"Girl in a closet, huh?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well… you see… yeah it happened." Dean admitted.

"Mm-hm. We've had my awkward ex's conversation. In fact, you've met one of them. But I seem to remember that we've never talked about yours." She said, pointing at him as she walked backwards through the door.

Dean scoffed.

"Well your ex's conversation lasted about ten minutes. Mine would last about ten hours." He informed her.

"Well we better get started with the blonde in the closet." Elena said with amused eyes as she watched Sam disappear into the bathroom.

Dean groaned and sat on the bed, running his fingers through his short hair.

* * *

_They were in the closet making out, Dean's favorite place to be in the school other than the parking lot leaving._

"_So tonight I'm thinking you, me, a bucket of popcorn, extra butter..." he said as he pulled away, tucking a stray hair behind her ear._

"_Mm, kinky." Amanda said with a slight smile, her arms still wrapped around his neck._

"_..and the midnight screening of 'I Spit on Your Grave' at the Cinedome." He suggested, playing with the collar of her shirt._

"_I can't. I have a curfew... at 11:00." She said, disappointed._

"_So?" Dean shrugged._

"_So if I break it, my folks will ground me for a month." Amanda said with a chuckle._

"_Yeah, parents. Terrifying." He rolled his eyes at the words._

"_Mm-hm. Well, when's your curfew?" she questioned, pulling away to straighten her shirt._

"_I don't have one." _

"_Your parents just let you stay out all night, don't they?" Amanda said with a grin, combing her hair out with her hands._

"_My dad's out of town on a job. It's just me and my brother." Dean said, looking away as the conversation was getting a bit too close to home._

"_For how long?" _

"_Couple of weeks." He said, reaching out to play with a dry sponge that was sitting on a shelf. _

"_Seriously?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide though he couldn't see it as his back was still turned._

"_Yeah, we got a pretty sweet setup at The Pines." Dean nodded._

"_The motel?" she said, sounding as though she was pitying him._

_The last thing he wanted was sympathy._

"_Mm-hmm. HBO, magic fingers, free ice… it's great." Dean said with a grin as he turned around._

"_Yeah... I guess." Amanda shrugged, looking solemn with her lips forming a pout._

"_What? I do whatever I want, whenever I want. It's perfect." Dean asked, reaching out to take her hand._

"_Yeah, but... don't you miss your dad?" Amanda asked._

_Dean didn't answer, turning to open the door and walk out so that he didn't have to answer her question. That was when he spotted his little brother walking down the hallway with a dorky looking kid._

"_Yo! Sammy!" he said, pointing at him before turning to walk down the hallway with Amanda at his side._

"_Is that your little brother?" Amanda asked._

"_Yeah, he's a good kid." Dean said, looking back to catch one last glimpse at Sammy before they turned the corner._

* * *

"Popcorn with extra butter? That's your best pickup line?" Elena asked, grinning at him as she turned to the bathroom to change when Sam walked out.

"Hey! It worked sometimes!" Dean argued.

"Mmm… I'm sure it did." she said skeptically before she disappeared.

She came back moments later comfortable clothes on.

"I figured out which cemetery he's in." Sam said solemnly, holding up a piece of paper.

"Let's get going." Dean nodded, holding out his hand to Elena before they walked out.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, they were standing over the freshly dug grave and Elena was grimacing down at the bones of Sam's former friend. Sam tossed the salt and fuel on the coffin before Dean threw down a lighted match.

"So long, Barry Cook." Dean said gruffly, his hunter side coming out as he tried to keep himself emotionless as he often did for hunts.

They all turned away to walk out of the cemetary, Elena walking between the two brothers.

"You all right?" she asked Sam.

"Barry was my friend. I just burned his bones." he said softly.

"Well, he's at peace now, Sam." Dean threw in, looking over at his little brother.

"I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?" Sam said, glancing back at the smoke rising out of the grave.

"You read the coroner's report same as me. Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I hated that school." Dean said, shaking his head as he kicked at a rock.

"It wasn't all bad." Sam shrugged, looking down as well.

"How can you say that after what happened to you?" Dean questioned, looking over at his brother with disbelief on his face

"What happened to you?" Elena asked, looking up at him.

* * *

_The two brothers were on the football field. Sam was sitting on the bleachers while Dean paced in front of him._

"_That kid's dead." He growled._

"_Dean." Sam sighed._

"_I'm gonna rip his lungs out!" he snapped, kicking at a rock on the ground._

"_It's not a big deal."_

"_Not a big deal? Sammy, look at yourself. If Dad was here…" Dean said, gesturing to Sam's black eye._

"_He's not." Sam snapped._

"_Well, I am! And as soon I'm finished with that dick…" Dean said, shaking his head as he cracked his knuckles._

"_Shut up, okay? I don't need your help." Sam said pleadingly._

"_That's right, you don't. You could have torn him apart. So why didn't you?" the older brother demanded._

"_Because I don't want to be the freak for once, Dean. I want to be normal." Sam said, looking down at his hands._

"_So taking a beating… that's normal?" Dean asked, cracking a slight smile._

_Sam shrugged before hesitantly smiling back at his brother. Sometimes, when he wasn't being such a jerk, Dean could be cool._

"_Any word from Dad?" Sam asked._

"_He called this morning, said he's going to be another week at least. We weren't supposed to be here this long." Dean said, frustrated._

"_At least you've got Amanda. She's cool." Sam said, trying to get Dean to see the bright side._

"_Dude, she wants me to meet her parents. I don't do parents." He said, looking up at the sky as if he was asking for answers._

* * *

Elena smiled at Dean's concern for his brother when they were younger and his insistence that he would kick the kid's ass who punched Sam. Neither of them said anything else as they climbed into the Impala to head back to the motel. They would leave for Sioux Falls the next morning but they were going to rest that night. When they arrived at the motel, Sam climbed out of the car and turned to walk in the direction of the park next to the motel. Dean stared after him with a worried expression.

"Is it all right if I go talk to him?" she asked, worried about him as well.

"Yeah, just tell me if he says anything… weird… okay?" Dean asked, obviously still touchy about them keeping secrets from him.

"Of course." She nodded with a smile, kissing his cheek before following Sam to the park.

When she got there, he was leaning against the swing set.

"You know, I used to always love swinging." She said as she breezed past him to sit on one of the swings.

He watched as she began swinging back and forth. His hardened gaze slowly melted into a slight smile as she shot him a silly grin.

"What's going on, Sam? You've been really sad this entire hunt." She said, her smile disappearing as she questioned him.

He sighed and shook his head.

"It just brings back memories. Last time I was here, I was so set on changing my life." he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Changing your life?" Elena questioned.

Sam looked up at her before opening his mouth to tell her what he meant.

* * *

_Mr. Wyatt's class had just ended and Sam was trailing behind everyone as they walked out. He was dead set on keeping himself under the radar so that Dirk didn't come after him again._

"_Mr. Winchester, can I talk to you?" Mr. Wyatt asked._

_He walked up to the desk and Barry turned to see that he was stopped._

"_Um... I'll wait for you outside." the boy said before turning to run out._

"_Look, if this is about the fight, I didn't start it." Sam began to defend himself._

"_Oh, no, it's not about the fight, Sam. You know this assignment was nonfiction, right?" Mr. Wyatt said, holding up the handwritten paper._

"_Yes, Mr. Wyatt." Sam said, nodding as a feeling of dread filled him._

"_So you and your family killed a werewolf last summer, huh? Why would you write something like this, Sam?" the teacher asked._

"_It doesn't matter. As soon as my Dad gets back, we're leaving, so you can flunk me if you want to." Sam said sadly, looking down at his feet._

"_I'm not flunking you. I'm giving you an 'A'." Mr. Wyatt said, much to Sam's surprise as he looked up with wide eyes._

"_Now, aside from the werewolf, is that really how you'd describe your family?" Mr. Wyatt asked, pointing to the paper as he set it down on the desk._

"_Yeah." Sam nodded._

"_Well, your brother is quite a character. And your father… he seems, uh, driven. Anyway, it's good, Sam. It's really good. Have you ever thought about pursuing writing?" the older male asked._

"_I can't. I have to go into the family business." he said quickly._

"_Family business?" Mr. Wyatt questioned._

"_Yeah, my, uh… my dad's a mechanic. So I have to be a mechanic, too." Sam nodded, sounding less than thrilled about it._

"_Do you want to go in the family business, Sam?" Mr. Wyatt asked._

"_No one's ever asked me that before." Sam asked after a moment of thinking._

"_Well?" he pushed._

"_More than anything, no." Sam sighed, shaking his head._

"_Well... I don't want to overstep my bounds here, but... you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Look, I mean, I know what it's like. I come from a family of surgeons, and that wasn't me. So, you know, I traded in the money and prestige of being a doctor for all the glamour you see around you. But the point is... there may be three or four big choices that shape someone's whole life, and you need to be the one that makes them, not anyone else. You seem like a great kid, Sam. Just live the life you want to live." Mr. Wyatt said, nodding at Sam with a small smile._

_Sam smiled back hesitantly. Dare he dream to do something other than the hunting that his father was dead set on getting him into?_

* * *

"It's cool that you had a teacher who was so honest with you and made you realize that you didn't want to go into the hunter life." Elena said, wondering what changed because Sam was obviously a hunter.

"Yeah, I actually think that teacher is the reason I went to college and was about to go to law school." Sam nodded.

"Law school, wow. Why didn't you?" Elena asked.

Sam sighed and reached into his back pocket, pulling his wallet out. He slid a small picture out of one of the slots and handed it to her. A beautiful girl with long golden hair was laughing at the camera as a much younger Sam leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"She's beautiful." Elena said, smiling down at the picture before handing it back to him.

"Her name was Jess. She was my girlfriend throughout college. I was actually going to ask her to marry me the day of my first law school interview. Then… two days before my interview with Stanford Law, Dean showed up and told me that Dad went missing after going on a hunt. He thought he was in trouble and needed my help. I went out and on a hunt with him. We solved it and got rid of the ghost. I went back to our house that we shared only to find that the love of my life was stuck on the ceiling with her stomach ripped open. She caught on fire and… well I'm pretty sure that I would have died if Dean hadn't come in to pull me out." Sam said looking down at his hands as he spoke. "It was the yellow-eyed demon."

Elena bit her lip and stood, walking to Sam to embrace him.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, pressing her face into his chest.

"It was a long time ago." Sam whispered, yet he embraced her back anyways.

"Tell you what, how about we go back to the school tomorrow before we leave and you can go talk to that teacher. You can tell him about how much he changed your life because… well you never know, it could make you feel better." She suggested, pulling away to look up at him.

"That sounds great." He said, nodding as he swallowed thickly.

Elena smiled at him before turning to walk back to the motel.

"I'm gonna stay here for a few more minutes, if that's okay." Sam said.

"All right. Stay safe." Elena nodded before walking away.

When she walked inside, Dean was propped up on the bed switching through the channels. Elena jumped on it with him and curled into his side.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

"He isn't great. I think he's just sad. He told me about Jess' death." Elena said.

Dean looked up at her with surprise.

"He never talks about her." he said, guilt in his own voice.

"He didn't say much, but I noticed that the way he talked about your dad… well it wasn't very happy or anything."

Dean flinched and she looked up at him.

"Ever since Sam found out that Dad was a hunter and that he was training us to be the same, Sam had a strained relationship with him. When he left to go to college, on a full scholarship, Dad told him…" Dean cut off.

Elena simply stared at him, not pressing him finish the thought.

"He told him that if he left, he might as well never come back cause he wasn't welcome." He said sadly, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling.

"I'm sure he regretted that every day for the rest of his life." Elena murmured, reaching up to stroke Dean's cheek.

He looked down at her and nodded.

"I know he did." he agreed.

Elena smiled sadly before stretching up to kiss his lips. Then she took the remote from his hand and switched off the television.

"Let's get some sleep." She urged, sliding down on the bed and dragging him with her.

Sometimes, she fell into the habit of sleeping in her clothes just like Dean and Sam did. It was convenient and comfortable for when they had to make a quick getaway for any reason. Elena buried her head in Dean's shirt and inhaled deeply as he played with her hair gently.

"Elena?" Dean asked.

"Yeah?" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

"I wanna tell you about my dad." He said softly, sounding unsure.

Her eyes opened wider and she looked up at him.

"Whenever you're ready." She promised him, kissing his lips softly before stroking his cheek and going back to cuddling with him.

With that statement hanging in the air, both of them fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Elena remained back a little from the boys, her hand holding Dean's, as they walked up to the school.

"We came back here so you could talk to a teacher?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam with a cocked eyebrow.

"He's a good guy." Sam defended himself.

"Leave him alone." Elena said, slapping the older brother's arm lightly.

"Well, whatever. Go have your Robin Williams 'O captain! My captain!' moment. Just make it quick." Dean said when they walked through the doors.

Dean dragged Elena off into a totally different direction as Sam headed towards Mr. Wyatt's room.

"Where are you taking me?" she laughed as he walked down the hallway quickly.

"Shh." He urged her, stopping and opening a door before stepping into the dimly lit closet.

"Oh no way." she said, shaking her head before he yanked her inside.

His arms wrapped around her waist after he pulled the door closed.

"Feel like we're in high school again?" he asked, kissing up her neck as he pressed her to the metal shelves.

"I don't think I would have wanted to meet you in high school, Dean. I don't know that I could have handled the manwhore of it all." She joked, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Mmm… you would have loved me." Dean said, nipping at her ear before latching his lips onto her earlobe.

She let out a breath moan as his teeth dragged it into his mouth.

"Dean…" she murmured, pulling his face up to her lips to kiss him.

As they began to make out, their kissing was interrupted by a loud scream. They were slamming their way out of the janitor's closet within moments. They ran down the hallway to find Sam sitting on the ground holding an unconscious teenager with a container of salt in his hand and most of the white grains in the girl's mouth.

"What happened?" Dean demanded.

* * *

They were sitting on the Impala, well Sam and Elena were, Dean was leaning against the hood between Elena's legs as they all sipped beers in the school parking lot.

"That ghost is dead. I'm gonna rip its lungs out!"

They both stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, you know what I mean." Dean said, sounding pissed.

Elena smiled at his protectiveness over Sam.

"It knew my name, Dean. My real name. We burned Barry's bones. What the hell?" Sam said, looking freaked.

"Well, maybe it wasn't Barry. Maybe we missed something. We just got to go back." Dean suggested.

Elena picked up the file and began sifting through it.

"No way. How did we not see this before?" She said with wide eyes..

"What?" Sam asked.

"Look, April Williams, the food processor guy, and that girl back there… they rode the same bus." Elena said, looking up at them.

"Okay, so maybe the bus is haunted." Sam suggested.

"Well, that would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks. I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail." Dean said with a confused expression.

"Unless this one can. Dean, there's lore about spirits possessing people and riding them for miles, then whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghosts can go wherever they want." Sam explained.

"So a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?" he asked.

"It's possible." Sam nodded.

"Ghosts getting creative… well, that's super." Dean scoffed, throwing his beer bottle as far as he could across the parking lot.

After walking across the school campus, Elena stood outside the bus keeping watch as Sam and Dean explored inside.

"Definitely ain't clean." She heard Sam say as he handled the EMF detector.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Dean chanted, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Man, I don't get it. No one ever died on this bus, and it's not like there's a body hidden in here." Sam said, confused as he looked around.

"Yeah, but a flap of skin, a hair, I mean, hell, a hangnail… something's got to be tying the ghost to this place. We just got to find it." Dean said, stopping at the front to search through the papers.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"Got a new driving permit. Issued two weeks ago." the older brother announced.

"Just before the first attack." Elena called.

"Yeah. Name of the bus driver is Dirk McGregor Sr., 39 North Central Avenue." Dean informed them.

"McGregor?" Sam asked, causing Dean to look back at him.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked.

"I knew his son." Sam said as they climbed off of the bus.

"Did you know everybody at this school?" Dean wondered.

Elena looked over at Sam to see him looking far off and sad once again.

* * *

_School was letting out and Sam was walking towards the parking lot to find Dean. He caught sight of Dirk pushing Barry down and he ran forward, damning the consequences._

"_Got to watch where you're going, man." Dirk laughed._

"_Leave him alone, Dirk." Sam said, getting in between them._

"_You never learn, do you, midget?" the bigger boy demanded, staring Sam up and down._

"_Get to the bus, Barry."_

_Barry ran off just as Dirk pushed Sam down._

"_What's the matter? You scared? Don't worry. I'll go easy on you this time. Come on, Lose-chester. Let's see what you got. Come on, freak! Freak!" Dirk said, taunting him as Sam stood._

_Finally his temper broke and he launched at Dirk, fighting him. He was obviously the better fighter as all of his hard punches found somewhere on Dirks' body and none of Dirk's punches landed._

"_You're not tough. You're just a jerk. Dirk the Jerk." Sam said as he knocked Dirk down onto the ground with a startled expression._

_The crowd around Sam starting chanting, 'Dirk the Jerk', until the boy ran off, leaving Sam feeling semi-proud and semi-bad. He sighed and picked up his bag, ignoring the congratulatory slaps on the back as he walked towards the parking lot._

* * *

Sam and Dean were in the living room with Dirk McGregor's father as Elena remained out in the car because it served their cover for the bus driver better.

"So, you were friends with Dirk?" Mr. McGregor asked the brothers.

"Yes, sir, in high school." Sam nodded.

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman. Here, sit. Sit down." The man said, gesturing to the couch.

"When did, uh… when did Dirk pass?" Dean asked.

"He was eighteen." Mr. McGregor nodded sadly, looking up at a picture of an older Dirk on the mantle.

"What happened to him?" Sam asked politely.

"Well, there was, first, drinking, then drugs, and then too many drugs. And then he just slipped through my fingers. It was my fault. I should have seen it coming, you know? Dirk, he, uh… he had his troubles." The old man said, sounding miserable.

"What kind of troubles?" Dean asked.

"School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money, and, well, you know, kids… they can be cruel. They picked on him."

"They picked on him?" Sam asked, surprised.

"They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him… Dirk the jerk."

Dean didn't miss the guilty flash on Sam's face at this news.

"And after what happened to his mother, he…" Mr. McGregor said.

"His mother?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, Jane, my wife. She died when Dirk was 13. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it fell to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you… you watch somebody die slow, waste away to nothing... it does things to a person. Horrible things." he said, shaking his head.

"I didn't know about his mother." Sam sighed.

"He… he wouldn't talk about her, not even to me. Lot of anger in that boy." Mr. McGregor nodded.

"I'm sorry." The younger brother said genuinly.

"Well, we'd really like to pay our respects, Mr. McGregor. Um, you mind telling us where Dirk is buried?" Dean said, changing the subject a bit.

"Oh, he wasn't. I had him cremated." Mr. McGregor informed them.

"All of him?" Dean asked, confused.

"Well, I kept a lock of his hair." The man said.

"Oh, that's… that's nice. Where do you keep that?" Dean asked, slightly creeped out.

"On my bus, in my Bible." Mr. McGregor shrugged, not seeing how that piece of information was important.

* * *

Elena stood just off the road as the bus hurtled towards them. Her eyes flashed to Sam and Dean, who were hiding in the bushes on the side of the road. The bus drove over the spike strip that the brothers laid down after they stole it from the police station and the tires blew out. The bus swerved for a half a second before coming to a stop. A few moments later, the driver opened the bus door and stepped out of the bus. Elena began to walk up to the bus, avoiding the headlights. Sam walked up to the driver and cocked a shotgun

"Dirk!" he said, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"Winchester. What are you gonna do, shoot me?" Dirk said through the man he was possessing.

Elena stepped into the scene as Dean snuck up behind the man and wrapped a rope around his waist.

"Don't need to. That rope is soaked in salt water, Dirk. You're not going anywhere." Sam said, nodding at Dean.

Elena slipped past them and climbed up on the bus to address the team and the coaches. Dean followed her, his hand on her shoulder.

"All right, everybody stay where you are. You'll be okay." Dean said in a calming tone.

"Aren't you the P.E. Teacher? And you're the counselor." one of the players asked.

"Not really. We're like '21 Jump Street'. The bus driver sells pot. Yeah." Dean nodded, looking at Elena for confirmation before turning to search for the lock of hair.

"I know it sounds weird but it's true." She nodded, flushing under their gazes.

"It's not here!" Dean yelled, frustrated.

"Where is it?" Sam demanded from outside.

"No way you'll ever find it." Dirk taunted them from outside.

Elena rolled her eyes and slid out of the bus to see what was going on.

"Where is it?" Sam asked as he pressed the shotgun full of salt rounds to Dirk's chest.

"Sam Winchester. Still a bully. You, you jocks... you popular kids... you always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just Dirk the Jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you." Dirk laughed.

"I'm not evil, Dirk. I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable, and we took it out on each other… us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that, and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that... you or Barry." Sam said sadly.

"Nothing is gonna get better for me. Not ever." Dirk said before he easily broke out of the rope.

Sam immediately fired the gun at him before Elena could react and they watched the form of the ghost fly back into the bus. Moments later, a student launched off of the bus and attacked Sam. Dean jumped out of the bus to fire a salt round but missed.

"Dean! Find the hair!" Sam commanded.

Dean walked to the bus driver, who was unconscious, and began searching through his pockets for the hair.

"Hey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like." Dean

Elena ran to the student/Dirk and reached down to yank him off of Sam. The ghost reacted quickly and suddenly she was thrown backwards onto the asphalt, her head banging on the ground. She looked up to see that Dean found the lock of hair. He took out a lighter and quickly lit it up, turning to see the ghost fly out of the student and disappear in a blaze of fire and then smoke. The impressively sized student fell forward onto Sam's body, unconscious.

"Little help?" Sam choked out.

"He's giving you the full cowgirl." Dean said with a grin, causing Elena to giggle as he turned to help her up and they walked over to pull the student off of Sam.

* * *

Elena and Dean remained outside while Sam went inside the school to finally meet his teacher again.

"So?" she said, turning to lean into Dean, her arms wrapped lazily around his waist.

"So?" he repeated.

"Whatever happened between you and that Amanda Heckerling?" she asked, smirking up at him.

Her smile disappeared when he looked serious and sad.

"You don't have to tell me." she said quickly.

"I want to." He nodded before telling her the rest of the story.

* * *

_He was in the closet again, only this time he wasn't with Amanda. He was with some random girl, he didn't even know her name. When a knock sounded, he groaned and pulled away._

"_Five more minutes, Jerry." He said to his lookout._

_The door opened and he looked back to see Amanda standing there. He backed away and walked out of the closet, watching as Amanda backed away. _

"_Amanda, hey! Gettysburg address, 1863, right? History test next period. We're studying." He said, smiling nervously._

_The blonde rolled her eyes and turned to walk away._

"_Come on, baby. She means nothing to me. Don't be mad." Dean said pleadingly, catching her arm._

"_I'm not mad, Dean. I thought maybe... underneath your whole 'I could give a crap', bad-boy thing, that there was something more going on. I mean, like the way you are with your brother. But I was wrong. And you spend so much time trying to convince people that you're cool, but it's just an act. We both know that you're just a sad... lonely little kid. And I feel sorry for you, Dean." Amanda scoffed, shaking her head._

"_You feel sorry for me, huh? Don't feel sorry for me. You don't know anything about me. I save lives. I'm a hero. A hero!" Dean shouted as she walked off towards her friends, who were all looking at him as if he was a gigantic asshole._

"_What? What?" he demanded, glaring at them before walking away._

_Mere hours later, Dean was leaning against his locker glaring around at everyone, daring them to say a word to him. He looked up to see that Sam was walking down the hallway with people patting him on the back and congratulating him. This only made Dean's scowl deepen. He heard about his brother's confrontation with the bully but was upset over the fact that he didn't get the chance to take care of it for his brother. His cell phone rang and he sighed with relief._

"_Dad? Finally." He mumbled, flipping it open to answer it._

_They were outside minutes later. Sam was looking back at the school sadly while Dean bounced on his feet out of anticipation. The Impala pulled up and Dean felt his entire body sing with relief._

"_I can't wait to get the hell out of here. This place sucks. Come on, Sam." Dean said, patting his brother's shoulder before jogging to get into the passenger's seat._

"_Come on, Sam!" John urged his youngest son._

_Sam finally sighed and climbed into the car, wishing he didn't have to leave._

* * *

"I'm sorry." Elena sighed.

"I don't really care. It was forever ago." Dean shrugged.

"No emotional crap?" she asked, looking up at him.

He nodded once, trying to look tough.

"Well, even so, I'm here for you still. Whenever you want to talk about anything, including your dad or Sam, I'm willing to listen." She said with a smile.

Dean smiled down at her as well, kissing the top of her head gently.

* * *

Mr. Wyatt was alone when he walked in, knocking on the door hesitantly.

"Uh, Mr. Wyatt?" Sam asked.

"Yes." The teacher asked, looking up.

"You probably don't remember me, um, but my name is Sam Winchester, and I just wanted to thank you." he said, his eyes darting all over the room to see that it looked remarkably the same.

"For?" Mr. Wyatt asked.

"I was a student here, and uh, you gave me some advice once." Sam explained.

"Winchester, right. Right. Yeah. You, uh… you wrote that horror story." Mr. Wyatt nodded, smiling at him as he held his hand out.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah, it's kind of all been one long horror story." He chuckled, shaking his former teacher's hand.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Wyatt asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing. Sorry." Sam said, shaking his head.

"So, what was this advice? I might need to plagiarize myself down the line." Mr. Wyatt asked jokingly, leaning against his desk.

"You told me that I didn't have to go into the family business. You said I should make my own choices."

"So you've managed to do your own thing, then, huh?" the man asked.

"Yeah, for a while, yeah. And I think I went to college because of you. But, you know, people grow up." Sam nodded.

"Yeah." Mr. Wyatt agreed.

"Responsibilities. But still, um... you took an interest in me when no one else did. That matters, so thank you." Sam said gratefully.

"Well, you know, the only thing that really matters is that you're happy. Are you happy, Sam?" Mr. Wyatt asked.

Sam stared at him, unable to formulate a reply.

* * *

Later than night, after they returned to Sioux Falls, Elena and Dean were sitting out on the hood of the Impala in the moonlight. She was curled up in his arms and they were staring out at the field.

"I always idolized my father, looked up to him as a hero, you know?" Dean said.

Elena nodded, looking over at him.

"It didn't take much for Sammy to criticize Dad but I hardly ever did that." he sighed.

"You wanted him to be a good guy because of the way he raised you." she said, understanding.

Dean nodded, staring out at the distance.

"I just wanted to have a family. After Mom died, I did everything I could think of to keep everyone together. All of that fell apart when Sam left for Stanford."

Elena looked at him with a sad expression.

"You must have missed him." she said quietly.

Dean looked down at their entwined hands.

"I did." he admitted. "But sometimes…"

Dean cut off and she looked at him with concern.

"You can tell me… whatever it is."

He looked up at her and took a deep breath.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never gone to Stanford to get Sam. I wish I'd left him there. He'd probably still be with Jess. He'd be a bigshot lawyer and they'd have bratty kids running around. He'd be happy." Dean admitted, sounding as though he felt horrible for it.

"That's not a bad thing, Dean." She assured him. "You want your brother to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that."

Dean shook his head, looking away from her.

"It's not just that. If I hadn't gone looking for him, Dad would have been fine. He may even still be alive. I wouldn't have had to sell my soul and I wouldn't have gone to hell." He said.

Suddenly he looked up at her with a panicked expression.

"But then I never would have met you."

Elena shook her head, leaning in to put her head on his shoulder.

"You're not a bad person, Dean. You'll never convince me that you are, no matter what you tell me." Elena said.

He smiled, reaching up to stroke her cheek before he launched into the story of his father.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Next Chapter: This is the wishes episode. Elena is concerned over the angels' absence as well as her own growing tolerance towards pain.**


	19. Bad Karma is A Bitch

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, xxPaige23xx, Nyssandria, Dark Alana, regrets-collect93, beverlie4055, Ojha, Dean Winchester Rocks, and TheElegantFaerie for reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Bad Karma – Ida Maria**

**A few things:**

**1. This is another happy-ish chapter. The next few chapters will be a lot more angsty.**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**3. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

"Look, maybe it isn't so bad that we haven't seen the angels in a while." Dean shrugged, taking a shot of whiskey.

Elena looked at him with a frown.

"Dean, we haven't seen them in weeks. That's probably not a good thing. I mean, for all we know… the apocalypse has started and we're here drinking." She ranted.

"I doubt that. There would be signs, right? Water turning to wine… or blood." He said.

She sighed, sitting back with her arms crossed. Sam opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by their too-cheery waiter.

"Radical. What else can I get you?" he asked, a big smile on his face.

"Uh, I think we're good." Sam said, staring at him strangely.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"You want to try a couple of fryer bombs? Or a chipotle chili changa?" the waiter asked, looking too excited at the thought of them ordering the food.

"No, no, we're… we're still good." Dean confirmed.

"Okay, awesome."

They all watched as the waiter walked off before continuing their conversation.

"Elena, I'm sure that the angels with contact us if they need to. After all that about helping with the seals, they wouldn't just leave us in the dark." Sam reassured her.

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Castiel told me something last time we saw each other… he said that his superiors were watching. What if they decided he wasn't doing a good job? What if they did something bad to him?"

"What could we do?" Dean questioned. "It's not like we can break into heaven to find the guy."

Elena scowled at the table.

"Outstanding. Dessert time?" the waiter exclaimed, reappearing. "Huh? Am I right?"

"Dude." Dean sighed.

"Listen, bros." he said, a big smile on his face. "You have got to try our ice cream extreme. It's extreme."

"Uh, no extremities, please. Just the…"

"Check? All right, awesome." The waiter nodded, cutting him off.

"Thanks." Sam said, grimacing at him as he walked off once more.

"All right, so, where do we go from here?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure." Sam shrugged, glancing through a newspaper. "Uh, looks like it's been pretty quiet lately. No signs of demon activity, no omens or portents I can see."

"That's good news for once." Elena commented, trying to distract herself from the angels.

Yeah, just the typical smattering of crank UFO sightings and one possible vengeful spirit. Here, check this out. Uh... Up in Concrete, Washington, eyewitness reports of a ghost that's been haunting the showers of a women's health facility." Dean choked on his beer and Elena narrowed her eyes at him as Sam frowned.

"The victim claims that the ghost threw her down a flight of stairs. I can see you're very interested."

"Women, showers. We got to save these people." Dean said with wide eyes.

Elena rolled her eyes, standing up.

"Bathroom for me first. Try to control your excitement." She said, standing up to walk away from the table.

When she got into the one-person bathroom, she stood in front of the mirror and lifted her shirt slowly. Elena winced as she prodded at the large bruise on her ribs. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as it should have and that's why she wasn't healing it. She was feeling pain less and less and that was scaring her. She didn't want to be inhuman. She wanted to be as human as possible. She swallowed her emotions and dropped her shirt, shaking her head before washing her hands thoroughly.

* * *

"I'm not surprised the spirit world chose to make contact with me. I'm something of a... natural sensitive." Candace explained, gesturing with her uninjured arm.

The other one was in a sling. Sam nodded, trying to keep up the cover.

"I can sense that about you, Candace, that whole... sensitive thing." He agreed.

She smiled at him before leaning forward.

"So, what did you say you're calling your book?"

"Oh, well, um... well, the working title is... 'Supernatural'. Yeah, I've been crossing the country, gathering stories like yours. But, anyways, you were telling me about your encounter." He urged her.

"Yes. Well…" she sighed, taking a drink of her tea. "… once I saw the apparition, that's when I started to run."

Sam glanced around for a moment, grimacing at the sight of a couple passionately making out at a table a few feet away.

"And you said the ghost chased you?" he said, focusing on the woman once more.

"Not just that. It knew my name." Candace said, her eyes wide. "It kept yelling, 'Mrs. Armstrong! Mrs. Armstrong!' And that's when I hit the stairs and fell."

"You fell? The ghost didn't push you?" Sam questioned, frowning.

"Oh, I don't… I don't know." She said, sounding confused. "I mean, I think it did. Maybe."

Sam raised his eyebrows, writing on his notebook.

"Did you feel like it meant to hurt you, like it was violent, or..."

"It was a ghost. I'm lucky to be alive." Candace breathed. "Anyway, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and that's when it got weird."

She let out a laugh and shook her head.

"It helped me up."

"Say again?" he said.

"Yeah. It helped me up. And it kept saying over and over, 'Please, don't tell my mom'." she nodded.

"Yeah, that's weird." Sam agreed.

* * *

Elena and Dean walked into the fitness center, their hands loosely entwined. They glanced around the place as a man in khaki pants and a black polo walked to them.

"How are you today?" he asked, forcing a smile onto his face.

"We're doing good." Dean nodded, reaching out to shake his hand. "We're just looking around at fitness centers in the area. We're new here."

The man looked at them with confusion.

"The only other gym is the YMCA." He said.

Dean's smile faltered.

"Well maybe we wanted to compare you to the YMCA." He said through gritted teeth.

Elena stepped forward, smiling hesitantly.

"He's doing it for me. I am very OCD about cleanliness. I need to make sure that the place that I attend is not filthy." She said, laughing nervously.

Dean nodded as the gym manager looked understanding.

"Well I can take you around if you like." he said, gesturing to the workout area.

"You go." Elena said, stepping away. "I'll go check out the women's locker room."

She felt their eyes on them as she walked off, pulling the EMF meter out of her purse as she stepped into the locker room. The other women stared at her strangely as she walked through with it clicking.

"Health inspection." Elena said simply.

After making two laps around the entire locker room, she sighed and put the meter away, pushing her way out of it. When she saw Dean and the manager looking at a weight-lifting machine, she barreled towards them and grasped Dean's hand. Her face was arranged into a look of horror.

"You have mold in your showers!" she hissed, yanking Dean away from the manager and towards the exit.

By the time they were in the parking lot, he was laughing and she was smiling slightly.

"So nothing in there?" Dean finally managed to ask.

"Nothing." Elena said, shaking her head.

They waited at the Impala, Dean reading the newspaper and Elena texting Jeremy. When Sam came walking up, they both glanced up at him.

"Well, you pick up anything?" he asked.

"No EMF in the shower or anywhere else." Elena said, shaking her head.

"This house is clean." Dean confirmed.

"Yeah. I'm not surprised." Sam sighed. "I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

Dean shrugged, looking down at his feet.

"I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

Elena exhaled sharply as Sam rolled his eyes.

"You wanted to save naked women." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Damn right I wanted to save some naked women." Dean nodded, winking at her.

She smiled as he pulled her into his side. Before they could get into the Impala, four little boys ran past, three of them chasing the fourth.

"Come on, guys, get him!" One of the bullies shouted.

"I got him! I got him!" Another yelled.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean called after them as Elena noticed something on the dock a few yards away from them.

"Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here." Sam said.

"How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it? It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!" the man shouted to the police officer.

"Something's going on." Elena said, nudging Dean.

They all walked towards the two men, curious as to why one of them looked panicked and the other looked skeptical.

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be." The polic man said. "But don't you think it… don't you think it had to be a bear?"

"I know a damn bear track when I see one! This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge!" Gus gestured exaggeratedly.

"Now, Gus..." he sighed.

"It was Bigfoot, Hal… the Bigfoot!" the crazed man said desperately.

The police officer rubbed his head.

"Gus, you're not talking sense here." Hal said simply.

"There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it, and he's a son of a bitch!" Gus growled.

"Excuse us. FBI." Sam said.

They all held up their badges.

"What?" Hal questioned.

"Yes, sir. We're here about the..." Elena hesitated, nodding at Gus. "… that."

"About Bigfoot?" the police officer said doubtfully.

"That's right. Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?" Sam asked, turning towards Gus.

"Yes, I can." He nodded, looking like he wanted to be taken seriously.

When they got the man's story, they drifted away towards the woods.

"Are we going to look for Bigfoot?" Elena asked, glancing between the brothers.

Their looks told her everything she needed to know and Elena sighed, walking into the woods with them.

* * *

"What the hell's going on in this town? First there's a ghost that's not real, and now a Bigfoot sighting?" Dean wondered as they walked around the trees and over fallen logs.

"Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax." Sam shrugged.

"Well, maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply." Elena grumbled.

Suddenly they all stopped short when they saw huge tracks in the mud.

"Okay. What do you suppose made that?" Dean asked.

"That, uh... is a big foot." Sam nodded.

"Okay." Dean nodded, moving forward.

They all followed the tracks straight to the back of a liquor store. When they walked up the steps, they immediately saw that it had been broken into.

"So, what… Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, jonesing for some hooch?" Dean asked, inspecting the bottles that were smashed andmissing. "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl-drink drunk."

Elena turned, glaring at him.

"Hey. Check this out." Sam said, looking at something at the end of an aisle.

"He took the whole porno rack?" Dean said incredulously. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?"

All three of them sat on a bench outside of the liquor store. Their faces were perplexed and they were searching their minds for anything.

"I got nothing." Dean finally said.

"It's got to be a joke, right? Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?" Sam suggested.

"Or it's a Bigfoot. You know, and he's some kind of a alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods Duchovny." Dean said, shrugging.

They were interrupted by a girl on a bike passing them. A magazine fell out of the box on the back and Dean went forward to grab it.

"A little young for busty Asian beauties." He said, holding it up.

They turned, following the girl to the back door of the liquor store. Sam, Dean, and Elena watched as she dropped off the box. She took off and they walked forward to see that it was full of the stolen alcohol and porn with a 'sorry' note on top. Exchanging confused looks, they all turned to follow the little girl home.

As they stood outside, Elena reached forward to knock on the door. It opened and the little girl looked up at them innocently.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Um, could we... you know what?" Sam sighed, glancing past her. "Are your parents home?"

"Nope." She said, shaking her head.

"No." Sam nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"No. Um... have you seen a really, really furry..." Dean began.

"Is he in trouble?" the little girl asked, looking panicked.

"No." Sam laughed, shaking his head. "No, no, no. Not at all. We just…"

"We wanted to make sure he was okay." Elena stepped in, moving forward to crouch at her level.

"Exactly." Dean nodded.

The little girl looked at Elena.

"He's my teddy bear. I think he's sick." She said, sounding scared.

Elena gasped, smiling.

"Wow, that's amazing. You know why?" she said, her voice light and cheerful. "We're teddy bear doctors."

"Really? Can you please take a look at him?" the little girl pleaded.

"Sure." Elena nodded, straightening up. "What's your name?"

The girl seized her hand and pulled her inside.

"Audrey." She answered as they walked up the stairs.

Dean and Sam followed, relieved that Elena was there to help with the child.

"He's in my bedroom. He's pretty grumpy." Audrey explained, knocking on the door. "Teddy? There's some nice doctors here to see you."

She opened the door and Elena, Dean, and Sam all stopped short their eyes wide. A huge, drunk teddy bear was watching television.

"Close the friggin' door!" he yelled, turning to look at them with big, plastic eyes.

"See what I mean?" Audrey said sadly as she closed the door. "All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time… not ouch sad, but ouch-in-the-head sad… says weird stuff, and smells like the bus."

Elena looked at Sam and Dean for help.

"Um, little girl..." the older brother began.

"Audrey!" she sighed, exasperated.

"Audrey. How exactly did your teddy become real?" he asked.

"I wished for it." she shrugged.

"You wished for it?" Sam said.

She nodded, looking as though there was nothing wrong with it.

"At the wishing well."

Dean nodded and glanced at them before reaching past her to open the door once again. Teddy was watching the news on the TV and sniffling.

"Look at this." he shook his head. "You believe this crap?"

"Not really." Dean answered, his eyes wide.

Elena and Sam peeked in as well, wanting to make sure that they weren't seeing things.

"It is a terrible world. Why am I here?" the teddy bear demanded.

"For tea parties!" Audrey yelled, stomping her foot.

"Tea parties? Is that all there is?" he asked miserably as guns fired on the TV.

"Audrey, give us a second, okay?" Sam said.

She nodded and they drifted away.

"Are we... should we... uh, are we gonna kill this teddy bear?" he whispered.

"How?" Dean hissed. "Do we shoot it, burn it?"

"I don't know. Both?" he shrugged.

"How do we even know that's gonna work?" Elena asked.

Dean nodded in agreement.

"I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy on our hands."

"Yeah. Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here." Sam agreed.

They all turned back to the little girl and Elena squatted in front of her once more.

"Audrey. Where are your parents?"

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali." She shrugged.

"Okay, well... I'm really sorry to have to break this to you, but... your bear is sick." Sam said in a soft voice. "Yeah, he's… he's got..."

"Lollipop disease." Dean made up.

"Lollipop disease." Sam nodded.

Elena rolled her eyes at them before facing her.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size." She said, continuing the lie. "But, see, it's… it's really contagious."

"Yeah, so, is there… is there someone, maybe a grown-up, that you can stay with while we treat him?" Sam questioned.

Audrey thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street."

"Perfect." Dean nodded as Elena straightened up.

"Good, yeah, good. Uh, we'd like you to stay there for a few days, okay?" Sam said.

"Okay." Audrey agreed.

"Oh, and, Audrey? Where is this wishing well?" Dean asked.

* * *

Elena, Dean, and Sam walked into the Chinese restaurant, spotting a little boy throwing a coin in the fountain.

"Think it works?" Dean questioned.

"Got a better explanation for Teddy back there?" Sam shrugged.

He sighed, pulling out a coin.

"Well, there's one way to find out." Dean said, walking forward.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Elena asked.

"Shh!" he hissed as he threw the coin. "Not supposed to tell."

Moments later, the door opened and someone yelled out.

"Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeño?"

"That'd be me." Dean said, raising his hand.

Elena and Sam rolled their eyes as Dean walked forward to pay for the sandwich. They all sat at a table watching as he ate it.

"I think it works, dude. That was pretty specific." Dean said happily, munching on it as they stared at him.

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam listed.

"Mm. I'm guessing this." Dean said with a full mouth, gesturing to the newspaper.

"I'm guessing that." Sam said, pointing at the couple he'd seen during the interview.

They were still making out.

"Well, that definitely goes on the list." Dean nodded, noticing that the woman was far more beautiful than the man she was with. "What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? I mean, it sounds like kind of a douche-y thing to do."

"Yeah, maybe. But come on, man." Sam said, shaking his head. "When has something like this ever come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

"I don't know. It's a damn good sandwich." Dean said, grinning.

They both scowled at him and he sighed, putting the sandwich down.

"All right. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing till we figure out what's going on."

"Uh, gentlemen, gentlemen. I'm sorry." A Chinese man said, walking up to them. "We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here." Dean snapped, pulling out another badge. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code 56C."

Elena and Sam nodded along with him.

"Rats?" the owner demanded, sounding panicked.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the restaurant was cleared and the fountain was drained. Dean was knelt over inspecting the fountain and pushing coins out of the way.

"Typical fountain, plaster Buddha. Nothing I can see." He shrugged.

"Yes, nothing. We keep a clean place here." The owner said, glaring at them.

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation, okay?" Sam said.

The man made a face at him but turned to leave as well.

"Thank you."

"Oh, come on. Aren't you a little bit tempted?" Dean said as he stood, flipping Sam a coin.

"No." Sam said, shaking his head. "Wouldn't be real. I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know. That bear seemed pretty real." He shrugged, holding it out to Elena.

She shook her head as well.

"Yeah." Sam sighed.

"Come on, if you could wish yourself back, you know, before it all started..." Dean urged. "Think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

"Not what I'd wish for." Sam replied.

Elena and Dean both looked up at him.

"Seriously?"

"It's too late to go back to our old lives, Dean." Sam sighed. "I'm not that guy anymore."

"All right, well, what, then? Hmm?" the older hunter wondered. "What would Sammy wish for?"

"Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody." Sam said simply, bending over to squint at the fountain.

"Okay." Dean nodded as Sam reached down to touch something on the bottom of the plaster.

"What is that?" Elena asked.

"Some kind of old coin. I don't recognize the markings." Sam said.

Dean bent down and tried to pick it up but it didn't budge.

"Damn." He muttered, trying harder.

"Lift with your legs." Sam and Elena said at the same time.

Dean turned to glare at them before huffing out a sigh.

"Is that little mother welded on there?" he snapped.

Minutes later, the brothers walked back into the restaurant with a hammer and a crowbar.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is this?" the owner demanded, chasing after them. "You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a 44/16, but I will." Sam threatened.

"Thanks." Elena said, smiling at him as he exited the restaurant once more.

"Let me see that. I got an idea." Dean said, bending over.

As he tried to budge the coin from the fountain, the hammer broke in half. They heard the owner laughing from outside.

"Damn!" Dean cursed.

"Coin's magical." Sam pointed out, smirking.

"Boy, I'd say." Dean snapped, glowering at him. "I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy this."

Sam grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, bending over to trace the coin.

"All right, here. You got to look into this." he said, handing it to Dean.

"Where you going?" Elena asked as he walked towards the exit.

"Something just occurred to me." Sam sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

The woman was clueless, pulling the towel around her body. Wet footprints appeared on the ground but before anything could happen, Sam reached out and grasped the shoulder of the invisible pervert. He appeared, his eyes wide and panicked and his body unclothed. The woman screamed and backed away.

"What?" the teenager said, shocked that someone discovered him.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'm with the health department." Sam said, holding up his badge.

She ran off, glaring back at them.

"So, you can turn it on and off, huh?" he demanded, steering the kid out of the women's locker room.

"How... how did you know that I was..."

"You actually walked up to a wishing well, dropped a dime, and wished to be invisible so you could spy on women in the shower?" Sam demanded.

"N-No. No. N-No, no, no." the kid stammered, shaking his head. "That's crazy."

Sam rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Put on some pants. And stay visible." He snapped.

"O-okay." He nodded, watching as Sam left him outside of the locker room.

* * *

Elena sighed, finding hard to concentrate on the text she was reading.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" she called towards the bathroom.

All she got in answer was a moan before Dean became sick again. Sam walked in, staring around in confusion before hearing Dean.

"You all right?" he called as Elena grimaced and shook her head.

"The wishes turn bad, Sam." Dean said in a strained voice. "The wishes turn very bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" he said, wincing.

Elena moved forward, showing him what they found.

"The coin was Babylonian. It's cursed. We found some fragments of a legend." She explained.

Dean walked out, his face pale and his body drenched in sweat.

"I'm good." He grumbled, sitting in a chair and burying his face in his hands miserably.

"The serpent is Tiamat, which is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos." Elena continued.

"I guess their, uh, priests were working some serious black magic." Dean said, picking his head up.

"They made the coin?" Sam asked.

They both nodded at the same time.

"Yeah, to sow the seeds of chaos. Whoever tosses a coin in the wishing well, makes a wish, it turns on the well. Then it starts granting wishes to all comers." Elena confirmed.

"But the wishes get twisted. You ask for a talking teddy..."

"You get a bipolar nut job." Dean finished.

"And you get E. coli." Sam nodded at him.

"This thing has turned more than one town upside down over the centuries. It's even wiped a few off the map. I mean, one person gets their wish, it's trouble, but everybody gets their wish..." Elena trailed off, shaking her head.

"It's chaos." Sam said.

"Mm-hm." Dean nodded.

"Any way to stop it?" he asked, glancing between them.

Dean nodded as Elena turned the page.

"Yeah. One way. We got to find the first wisher." He said.

"Whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish, they're the only ones who can pull it back out and reverse the wishes. So for now, we've got a couple of crazy dreams come true, but once the word gets out about the well, things are just gonna get crazier and crazier." Elena informed them.

* * *

Elena sighed, sensing that something was going on as she opened her eyes. Dim light was shining in the corner of the room and she looked up to see Sam researching. She sat up slowly, sliding out of Dean's arms and standing up.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled, sitting across the table from him.

"Trying to figure out where the wishes started." Sam answered, taking a drink from a cup of coffee.

Elena yawned, pulling a stack of newspapers towards her.

"You should go back to sleep." Sam said, frowning at her.

"I'm fine." She sighed, wincing at the dull pain in her ribs as she inhaled too deeply.

Sam stared at her strangely but remained silent, going back to reading. They sat in silence for about thirty minutes before a noise pulled Elena out of her concentration. She looked over at Dean to see him thrashing on the bed and making whimpering noises. Sam looked at her with wide eyes as she shot up and ran over.

"Dean." Elena said, seizing his shoulders and shaking him. "Dean wake up!"

He suddenly shot up, gasping and looking around wildly.

"Dean it's okay." Elena said, putting her hands on his cheeks. "You're okay."

Dean took a deep, shuddering breath and pulled her in close. He buried his face in her hair and she felt him trembling as she held him close.

"Shh." She murmured. "It's all right. You're safe."

She held him close as he slowly came out of it, pulling away to look at her. Elena stroked his forehead, leaning in to kiss him softly.

"I'm sorry." Dean mumbled.

"Don't be." she whispered back.

Sam watched with concern as they straightened up. Dean didn't want to dwell, grabbing himself a cup of coffee.

"We got teddy bear, uh, lottery guy, invisible pervert guy. They all must have wished sometime in the last two weeks. But who wished first, and how are we supposed to know who else wished for what when?" Dean asked.

"Well, it helps when they announce it in the paper." Sam said, holding up a newspaper. "Goes back a month."

"Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announced their surprise engagement." Dean read off.

"Ah, true love." Sam sighed, shaking his head.

Dean laughed as Elena still looked at him with concern.

"Best lead we got." Sam shrugged.

* * *

Elena reached out, ringing the doorbell.

"I'll get it. Wes!" she heard a cheerful voice ring out.

The door opened moments later and a beaming woman stood there.

"Hello, I'm Natasha Boaz." She said with a brilliant smile. "I'm a wedding planner."

Hope squealed, reaching out to drag her inside.

"You didn't tell me that you called a planner for the wedding."

Elena followed her inside to find Wes looking stunned.

"Huh?" he said, standing up.

"You're the best!" Hope said, launching at him to kiss him thoroughly.

Elena averted her eyes, catching sight of a bunch of coins on display on the wall.

"I'm gonna go get my folders." Hope said, running out happily.

"Wesley, how's it going?" Elena said, walking to the coins.

"It's Wes." He answered. "I didn't call a wedding planner. Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter who I am. What matters is what I know." She said, turning to face him.

"Huh?"

"So, coin collector?" Elena said, pointing at them.

"Oh. Yeah. My... grandfather gave them to me." he nodded.

"Did you happen to lose one of those coins lately? And by 'lose', I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chin's and make a wish on it?"

Sam and Dean walked in at that moment, let in by Hope who was still looking for her folder.

"No, I - I don't know what you're, uh, talking about." He said, glancing at the brothers.

"These are my florists." Elena lied. "Don't mind them."

Hope finally came back in with a bunch of papers.

"Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas, but, you know, we don't have all the money in the world." She said, standing beside Elena. "Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me. You know, I'm thinking a Japanese-y ikebana kind of thing."

"Yes. I can see it." she nodded, taking the papers and looking over them.

"Yeah. So, Hope, uh, tell us how you two lovebirds met." Sam suggested.

"Oh, best day of my life." she said, grinning.

"I bet." Dean nodded.

"Yeah! It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just…" she let out a sigh. "I just saw him for the first time. He was just... glowing. Oh, just glowing."

"Uh, babe, can you…" Wes cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "… can you get us some coffee?"

"Yes. Yeah." She nodded, leaning in.

They all watched with disgust as she kissed him over and over again.

"You're not that bad." Sam muttered, answering Elena and Dean's unasked question.

"Thank God." They both sighed with relief.

"Wes, we know. So tell us the truth." Elena said simply as soon as Hope left the room.

"My… my grandfather found the coin in North Africa, you know, World War II." Wes finally began, sitting down in th chair. "And, uh, he brought it back. He, um, he said it was a real wish-granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. Um... It was all I had, and when he died, I thought, 'Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?"

They all stared at him, none of the three impressed.

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back." Sam said.

Wes laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh, no, I'm not." He refused.

"If you don't stop it, something bad's gonna happen." Dean promised.

"Something bad. Like us." Sam confirmed.

"We really wish you'd come with us." Elena said, smiling politely.

* * *

"I don't get it." Wes sighed.

Dean was driving and Sam was in the front seat while Elena was in the back with him.

"So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"Because the wishes go south, Wes. Your town is going insane." Sam replied easily.

"Come on. You're gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional, that it's what you wished for?" Dean questioned skeptically.

Wes shrugged, nodding.

"I wished she would love me more than anything."

"Yeah, and, uh, how is that going? That seem healthy to you?" Elena demanded, glaring over at him.

She had a big problem with him taking Hope's choice away when it came to who she loved. Elena had no sympathy for the guy.

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive." He countered and she rolled her eyes.

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this. Nobody is." Dean said, shaking his head. "That's what the coin does. It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you. You hear of the whole, uh, 'be careful what you wish for'?"

Suddenly they all felt a slight bump.

"Did we just hit something?" Sam said, glancing around.

"I didn't see anything." Dean shrugged, looking confused.

Elena let out a laugh as a thought occurred to her.

"What?" Sam said.

"What if it was the invisible guy?" she said, smiling widely.

They both let out amused laughs at that idea.

"Careful what you wish for." Wes said mockingly, shaking his head. "You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it so easy because you happen to be handsome."

"Easy." Sam and Dean scoffed at the same time, sharing incredulous looks.

"Yeah. Women… women look at you, right? They notice you. I've seen her look at you." Wes said, gesturing between Dean and Elena.

"Believe us, we do not have it easy." Sam said.

Wes looked skeptical.

"We are miserable. We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got." Dean informed him, offended by someone telling him that he got it easy.

"But you know what? Maybe that's the whole point, Wes." Elena threw in.

"Yeah, people are people cause they're miserable bastards, cause they never get what they really want." Dean nodded.

"Right, yeah, you get what you want, you get crazy." Sam agreed.

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff." Dean suggested.

"You know what? Hope loves me now… completely. And it's awesome." Wes said stubbornly as they pulled up to the town square. "Besides, look around. Where's all this, uh, insanity you guys were talking about?"

They all looked to the left in time to see the same bullied kid from earlier. The bullies were inside of a large car, panicked expressions on their faces. The kid suddenly lifted the truck over his head and Dean nodded.

"Well, that should cover it." he said as the kid tipped the vehicle over.

"Kneel before Todd! Kneel before Todd!" He yelled triumphantly.

Dean and Elena climbed out at once.

"We'll handle Todd. You get Wes to Lucky Chin's. Go!" Dean urged Sam.

"Right." he nodded.

Sam drove away as Elena and Dean walked up to confront Todd.

"Hey, kid! Can I talk to you for a second?" Dean asked, stepping between him and the car full of bullies.

"Get out of my way!" Todd yelled, glaring at him.

"Okay. Hey, I can dig it, Todd." Dean nodded, glancing back at the overturned car. "Look, I know the score. Okay? They're bullying you."

"Every day. Every day! You do not know what it's like!" the kid said, looking angry.

"No, no, I don't. But, you know, you're you and I'm me, so…" Dean chuckled as Elena glared at him.

"You're not helping." She hissed.

Todd shook his head, ranting quietly.

"Couldn't stop them. I couldn't do anything. Then Audrey Elmer told me the wishing well worked."

"Okay, okay. Look – look, I get it. They're… they're mean little jerks, huh? But they're not superhuman like you. You see, with great power comes great respon..."

Dean was cut off by Todd puching him in the stomach. He flew backwards into a bunch of trash cans and Elena turned her scowl on the kid.

* * *

"That-that-that kid turned over that car like-like it was nothing." Wes stammered as they pulled to the restaurant.

"You should have seen the teddy bear." Sam muttered. "Now, come on. Fun's over. Time to pull the coin."

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?" he demanded as they climbed out of the car.

"Because that's life, Wes." Sam sighed, turning towards him.

A lightning bolt suddenly struck Sam and he fell to the ground, dead. Wes looked around with a panicked look before running into the restaurant.

"Hope?" he gasped when he saw his fiancé beside the wishing well.

"I had to do it, didn't I? He was gonna make you wish away our love." she said tearfully.

* * *

Dean stood up from the garbage as Elena pinned Todd against the ground. His fists beat against her but she was still able to subdue him. When he hit a sore spot, she gasped and tears filled her eyes.

"I should be stronger than you!" he yelled.

"Maybe you should get your money back." Elena grunted, seizing his arms and pinning them down as well.

* * *

"You wished a man dead?" Wes said, shocked and appalled.

"I love you more than anything." Hope said, smiling at him.

"Stop saying that. Stop it!" he shouted, shaking his head.

"But I do. More than anything." She said, her voice breaking. "More than me. More than life. Oh, Wes. Don't hate me."

She staggered towards him.

"It'll be okay. I'll make it okay. It's gonna be okay." Wes said, sidestepping her.

He ran to the fountain, removing the coin with ease. A tremor went through the ground and everything was still.

* * *

Elena sighed with relief as Todd's strength drained from him. Dean helped her up and looked at her with panic as she cried out, his hand pressing onto the bruise on her ribs.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing." She breathed, shaking her head as Sam walked up to them.

Dean didn't believe her, his eyes taking in the tears in her eyes. He didn't push it, following Sam to the Impala with Elena in tow.

When they got to the car, Wes was walking out of the store behind a dazed looking Hope, who didn't give him a second look. He handed Sam the coin before walking off.

* * *

"Well, uh, coin's melted down. It shouldn't cause any more problems." Sam said, walking into the motel room.

Dean nodded, glancing at the door to the bathroom with concern. Finally he stood, crossing to it. He knocked on it and Elena took a deep breath, shaking her head.

"I'm just going to take a shower." She said, her voice breaking.

"Please let me in." he murmured.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears escaping. She wasn't crying because she felt the pain anymore. She was crying because she didn't. Elena reached out and opened the doorknob, allowing him inside. Dean closed the door behind him as Sam looked at them strangely. Dean walked to her, turning her body to face him. He wiped the tears off of her face gently before his hands went down to her shirt. Elena let out a soft sob as he began to pull it up. When it was lifted over her head, Dean gasped at the dark spots that littered her torso.

"Why the hell aren't you healing these?" he demanded, sounding angry and worried.

Elena shook her head, fisting her hands in his shirt.

"I'm scared, Dean." She cried, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I can't feel it anymore."

"Feel what?" he asked, concerned.

"Pain." She wailed. "I don't feel it as badly. Every time I heal myself, the pain gets less and less. I barely feel punches or kicks now. It's not human. It's… unnatural. I don't want to be like that."

Dean shook his head, pulling her into his chest gently.

"It's not inhuman. It's actually perfectly human."

Elena was confused, remaining silent as she tried to figure it out.

"Do you really think that your body doesn't have defenses against what we go through? Sam and I do the same. Pain doesn't feel as bad. If we felt every bruise, cut, and injury, we'd be curled up in pain half the time. Your body is just getting used to it and trying to block it out for your sanity." He said, stroking her hair. "Please heal yourself. I don't like seeing you in pain."

Elena took a shuddering breath and nodded, concentrating. Slowly, the bruises all disappeared until she was completely healed. She pulled away, looking up at him and nodding.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Dean smiled, leaning down to kiss her. Elena responded, pushing up into his arms. He lifted her onto the counter and her legs wrapped around his waist. When they heard the door to the motel room slam shut, they both pulled away with hesitant expressions.

"He's gone again." Dean sighed.

"I know." Elena nodded. "It will be okay, Dean. We'll figure out how to deal with Sam but first…"

She cut off, looking at him warily.

"First what?" he asked.

Elena took a deep breath and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"We need to talk about your nightmares."

Dean swallowed hard and nodded, expecting the conversation.

"We will. Just… not now." He murmured.

Elena nodded, leaning in to kiss him once more. When she pulled away, she grinned at him.

"I have a surprise for you."

* * *

"I don't like surprises." Dean complained, his hands covering his eyes.

He was sitting on their bed as Elena approached him slowly.

"I smell fire." He said warily.

"Trust me." Elena sighed, sitting on the bed across from him. "Open your eyes."

Dean did so and stared at the lit up pie in shock.

"Happy Birthday." She said with a grin, gesturing to the candles that spelled out his name.

He grinned up at her.

"Wow this is… this is amazing."

Elena shrugged, beaming at him.

"Make a wish." She said, laughing at the words after the case they just had.

"Very funny." Dean said, rolling his eyes.

He blew out the candles moments later and then leaned in, kissing her deeply.

"What'd you wish for?" Elena asked, setting the pie on the bed to pick out the candles.

"Nothing." Dean answered, glancing up at her with a softened expression. "I have everything I need here."

Elena smiled at him, shaking her head as she leaned in to kiss him once more. The door opened and Sam came in, holding up a six-pack of beer and a to-go bag of food.

"Happy Birthday." He said, smiling hesitantly.

They all gathered on the same bed, munching on their food as they laughed and conversed about drunk teddy bears and invisible perverted teenagers.

* * *

**Sorry this one is shorter than most, I'll try to make the next one longer. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Next: When the three are dealing with a siren, Elena must go undercover in one of Dean's favorite places.**


	20. There's No Doubt, You're in Deep

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thank you everyone who is reading and reviewing! I love you all!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer**

**A few things:**

**1. This is where things start to get steamy between Elena and Dean and the 'M' rating comes into play. If you don't want to read, I'm putting up a line break that looks like this, WARNING.**

**2. This chapter gets very angsty towards the end.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

Elena sighed contentedly as she snuggled closer to Dean's warmth. His arms tightened around her and she smiled. He was just lying there. He wasn't tossing back and forth or muttering in his sleep. He wasn't having a nightmare. Her eyes slid open and she looked up at his face. He looked peaceful and that was the best that she could hope for. Ever since she'd actually forced him to talk about what was happening in his dreams, every sordid detail, he'd been a lot better. At first, he was convinced that she would be disgusted and run away from him even though she'd seen some parts of him being in hell.

"_It's pretty much just like you would have seen in your dreams. The blood, the torture, the screams echoing all around me only to realize that they're my screams. I always hear the hellhounds too. They're all growling, pacing the ground as if they're waiting for Alastair to throw them the remaining scraps of my body." Dean said, looking down at his hands._

"_And?" she asked, leaning forward to take his hands._

_His eyes flashed up to hers and he swallowed hard, squeezing her hands._

"_Dean, it's okay. There is nothing you can tell me…" she began._

"_Sometimes it's just blackness. I can't see anything but I can hear. I can hear every damn scream of ever soul that I tortured for ten years. I don't know how many poor bastards I tortured but I somehow memorized their screams, all of them." Dean said, his voice cracking a few times._

"_But that's not all, is it?" Elena asked._

_He shook his head, his eyes falling down to where their hands were connected. He gripped them tight as if he could keep her in place by holding her hands as tightly as he could. Elena didn't mind, simply remaining sitting across from him._

"_In the darkness, I can hear different voices. They're not screaming. It's Sam… or Dad… sometimes Mom… even Bobby… and…" he cut off._

"_And?" she pressed him to continue._

"_And you." he sighed, looking up at her._

"_What are we saying?" she asked._

_He let out a soft noise that might have been a sob._

"_That I'm disgusting. That you all hate me and will never forgive me for all that I've done, for all that I did in hell. You all tell me that I will turn back into the man I was in hell, that I am just pretending to be good, to be righteous." He said, his voice devastated._

_Elena sighed and launched forward, holding him in her arms as tightly as she could. _

"_You are a good man, Dean Winchester. I don't care what the hell your mind is telling you. I am telling you right now that you are righteous… you are good. You help people and you've helped me so much. I know that you've helped Sam more than either of you will admit just like he's helped you. I know that you will not turn into whatever you were in hell because you are better than that. You have me beside you and you have Sam and Bobby. I am not going to let anyone or anything change you into anything that you don't want to be." Elena reassured him, whispering the promise in his ear._

She sighed softly at the memory before reaching out her hand to tentatively trace the angles of his face. His forehead, his eyes, his cheekbones, his nose… finally his lips. Her fingers softly and gently slid over them.

"Yeah." Sam's voice from another room shattered the silence and Dean's eyes popped open.

He looked at her for a moment before turning to see that Sam wasn't in his bed. They both leaned up on their elbows to hear what was going on.

"Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. No storms, no bad crops, nothing." He said from the bathroom.

Neither Elena nor Dean said a word, both of them just listening to Sam's conversation.

"Yeah, okay. We'll keep looking. You keep looking too, okay?" Sam asked.

Elena reached out her hand, ready to pull Dean down to where it looked like they were sleeping.

"All right. Talk soon." Sam said before hanging up.

They both flopped onto the bed at the same time, Elena curling into Dean's chest as he wrapped his arms around her once more. They exchanged one wary glance before closing their eyes and pretending to sleep.

A few moments later, Sam walked in and stopped by the bed. Dean shifted forward when Sam poked his shoulder.

"Hey. Up and at 'em, kiddos." He said, sounding far too cheerful.

If they hadn't known he was hiding something before, they certainly knew it now. Dean sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes quite adorably in Elena's opinion.

"You're up early. What are you doing?" Dean grumbled, turning over to look at Sam.

"Nothing. I was in the can." Sam shrugged, sitting on his bed and leaning down to tie his shoes.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You want me to draw you a picture?" Sam laughed, looking up at Dean as Elena slid out of the bed and stretched out.

"Nah, I'll pass." Dean said, sounding annoyed as he also slid out of bed on Elena's side and pulled her into a hug, making her laugh and try to squirm her way out of it.

"Dean, we have to get ready. Sam is already beating down the door trying to get out of here." She giggled as he held her closely.

"Fine. You shower since I did last night." Dean said.

Elena nodded and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

"Found a job. Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer." Sam said, stopping her as she turned around to look at him.

"Yikes." Elena shuddered.

"And get this. Third local inside two months to gank his wife. No priors on any of 'em, all happily married." Sam informed them.

"Ahh. Sounds like Ozzie and Harriet." Dean commented, grabbing his bathroom bag out of his duffle.

"More like The Shining." Sam said, smirking down at his hands.

"All right, well I guess we'd better have a look." Dean said.

"After I take a shower." Elena reminded them, turning to walk in.

As was normal, as soon as she was stripped and in the hot shower, Dean came in and stood in front of the mirror. She peeked her head around the curtain to see that he was only in a pair of jeans that were sitting low on his hips. She smiled slyly at the view of his back and he spotted her in the mirror.

"Unless you want me to join you, stop lookin' at me like that." he warned her as he plugged in his electric razor.

"Hmm… there's an idea." She said with a wink before disappearing into the shower again.

As she lathered the shampoo into her long hair, she began humming. The humming quickly escalated into singing.

"Your lights are on… but you're not home." she said lightly, leaning her head back to wash the soap out. "Your mind… is not your own."

"Your heart sweats… your body shakes." She heard from outside of the shower and she grinned widely.

"Another kiss… is what it takes." She continued, leaning down to grab her conditioner.

"You can't sleep… you can't eat." Dean sang, sounding satisfied with the fact that he knew the lyrics despite the fact that he hardly ever listened to this song.

"There's no doubt… you're in deep." Elena said as she washed the conditioner out of her hair.

"Your throat is tight… you can't breath."

"Another kiss… is all you need." Elena twirled around to grab a washcloth and squirt pomegranate raspberry body

wash onto it.

"Oh you'd like to think that you're immune to this stuff… oh yeah." Dean sang as she let out a soft laugh and moved her body under the water to clear the soap off.

"It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough." she sang as she shut off the water and reached out to grab the towel material motel robe that was hanging outside of the shower.

It was barely wrapped around her body before the curtains were ripped aside and Dean reached in to yank her out of the shower and pull her close to his body. She cried out in surprise and her hands went to his upper arms to steady herself.

"You know you're gonna have to face it…" he trailed off, smirking down at her.

"… you're addicted to love." she finished, grinning up at him.

His hand grabbed hers and he twirled her out and back in, causing her to shriek happily.

"You saw the signs… but you can't read." Dean sang as he danced them around the small bathroom.

"You're running at… a different speed." Elena laughed as they moved together.

"Your heart beats… in double time." Dean said as he backed up to open the bathroom door and twirl them out into the room.

"Another kiss… and you'll be mine!" Elena belted, throwing her head back as he picked her up and twirled her, his hand holding the towel down over her legs.

"Oh wow… I did not want to see that." Sam muttered from the table where he was sitting.

"You can't be saved." Dean continued singing and dancing with her, oblivious to his brother's protestations.

"Oblivion… is all you crave." Elena replied, also ignoring Sam's whining.

"If there's some…. left for you… you don't mind if you do."

"Whoa! You like to think that you're immune to this stuff!" Elena said, twirling away from Dean dramatically before coming back in the same fashion.

"It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough." Dean sang loudly.

"You know you're gonna have to face it you're addicted to love!" they belted together, laughing as their impromptu performance came to an end.

Sam began clapping sarcastically as they clasped hands and bowed dramatically. Then Dean twirled her into him once more and placed a soft kiss to her lips.

"You're amazing." He whispered.

"Mmm… so are you." she said, kissing his nose lightly before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and disappearing into the bathroom with her clothes.

* * *

"Why does the PD keep sending you guys? I already said I don't want a lawyer." Mr. Benson said, glaring up at them.

"They're lining up the firing squad." Dean informed him, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat down across from the man in the orange jumpsuit.

"I'm pleading guilty." He replied, his eyes falling to the table as he refused to look at them.

"All right, look, you don't want us to represent you, that's fine. In fact it's probably not a bad idea, between you and me. We just wanna understand what happened, that's all." Dean said, shrugging at him.

"Mr Benson. Please." Elena said, smoothing her dress out before sitting down.

"What happened was, I killed my wife. You wanna know why? Because she made plans without asking me." Benson said, his voice breaking a few times as he sounded emotional about it.

"Now when it happened, how did you feel? Disoriented, out of control?" Dean asked.

"Like something possessed you to do it?" Elena explained at the man's confused look.

"I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear." He said, staring at them as if he didn't understand why they were asking all of those questions.

"Then why'd you do it?" Dean questioned.

"I don't know. I loved her. We were happy." Benson sighed, rubbing his forehead as he spoke.

Dean looked at Elena and she nodded at him before he set a stack of papers on the table, tapping the bottom of the top paper.

"Nine G's. That's a hefty bill." Dean said, looking up at him.

"Where did you get that?" Benson asked, sounding panicked.

"Doesn't matter. We have it. See, certain charges, ones you don't want the wife to know about... they show up under shady names like 'M & C Entertainment'." Elena said, leaning forward as she crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Like dropping plastic at a nudie bar for instance." Dean said, causing the man's eyes to widen.

"We just wanna know the truth, Mr Benson." Elena assured him.

He stared between them, looking uncertain before he shook his head and sighed.

"Her name was Jasmine." He admitted.

"She was a stripper?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Her name was Jasmine." Dean said as if it was obvious, smirking at her as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, I don't like to go to strip bars. My buddy was having a bachelor party, and there she was." Benson explained.

"Jasmine." Dean nodded.

"She came right up to me. And... I don't know, she was just... perfect. Everything that I wanted." The man shrugged.

"Well you pay enough and anybody will be anything." Elena said, a little disgusted with the whole idea.

"It wasn't about the money. It wasn't even about the sex. It was... I-I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain." Benson stammered

"And your wife found out?" Dean asked.

"No, she never had a clue."

"Then why'd you kill her?" Elena questioned, her eyebrows knitting together.

"For Jasmine. She said we would be together forever. If...if only Vicki was..." Benson trailed off, not wanting to say it even though he had killed his wife for a stripper.

"Muertos." Dean murmured under his breath.

"Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet and she never showed. I don't know where she lives, I don't know her last name, I don't even know her real first name! I'm an idiot." Benson said, shaking his head as he was humiliated by his actions.

"And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?" Elena asked.

"What for? The stripper didn't do it, I did it. And I know what I deserve. The judge doesn't give me the death sentence, I'll just do it myself. So that's why I don't want you defending me." Benson said decidedly.

"Fine." Dean said, standing up with Elena.

"Goodbye, Mr. Benson." Elena said, turning to walk out of the room with Dean trailing behind her.

As they walked out of the room, Elena got a sudden idea. It wasn't an ideal plan. In fact, it probably wasn't even a good idea. But it was the best idea she could think of so it had to be done.

"Can you drop me at the motel before you go get Sam from the hospital?" Elena asked.

"Sure, why?" Dean asked as they climbed into the Impala.

"Just need some alone… girl… time." Elena shrugged, hoping that would be enough.

If Dean knew what she was really doing, well he would either support her or try to stop her.

* * *

"Rough night?" Sam asked the woman sitting at the desk as he entered the office of Dr. Cara Roberts.

"Fun night. Rough day." She said with a wry grin, causing Sam to snigger softly. "Can I help you?"

"Ahhh...yes. Um, I'm Special Agent Stiles, FBI. You Doctor Cara Roberts?" Sam asked.

"Far as I know." Cara said, smiling up at him as she reached her hand out to shake his.

"You do some work with the Sheriff's department?" he asked.

"Yeah, when I'm not slogging it through the ER. It's a small town. We multi-task." She nodded, leaning forward to talk to him.

"Well, I have some questions about a case. About several cases actually. Do you mind if I sit?" Sam asked, gesturing to the chair.

She motioned for him to sit down.

"Great. Adam Benson, Jim Wylie, and Steve Snyder." He listed as he pulled the chair out and sat down.

"Oh yeah, the men who killed their wives?" Cara nodded, turning her attention back to the chart she was working on as she still listened to Sam.

"You handled their work-ups, right?" Sam questioned.

"Autopsies for the wives and tox screens for the perps. Two-for-one special."

"You find anything?" he asked.

"Not really. I mean, cause of death on the women was pretty clear. There was nothing unusual in their systems." Cara shrugged.

"What about the husbands?"

"Can I... see your badge again?" she said, picking up her eyes as she leaned forward.

She looked closely at Sam's badge, then back at Sam, before sighing and leaning back.

"There was one thing, um, an anomaly in the blood work. And I remember thinking how strange it was that it showed up in all three of the men." She said.

"That what showed up?" Sam asked.

"Oxytocin. And their levels were crazy high." Cara explained.

"Ahh. Oxytocin?" he said, unsure of what exactly it was.

"Mm-hmm, it's a hormone that's produced during childbirth, lactation and sex." she said.

"Okay." Sam nodded.

"People call it the love hormone. Um, you know how it feels when you first fall in love. The whole weak in the knees, tattoo you on my chest thing? That's oxytocin. Of course it eventually fades and then you're stuck with every relationship ever. That and the painful regime of tattoo removal."

They shared a secretive smile before a knock sounded on the door. Sam looked up to see Dean.

"What'd I miss?" Dean

"Ahh, this is my partner, Agent Murdoch." Sam introduced them.

"I'm Doctor Roberts." Cara said, holding her hand out to him as well. "So, um, can I help you with anything else?"

"Uhh, sure, just one more thing. This chemical, this..." Sam trailed off.

"Oxytocin." Cara said, causing Dean to look as confused as Sam at the name of the chemical.

"Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?" Sam asked.

"Nothing that I've ever seen." Cara shrugged.

"Okay. That's it. Thanks Doc." Sam smiled warmly at her, something that didn't escape the notice of Dean, as he stood up.

As they moved to the door, Sam hesitated before turning back.

"By the way...try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover." He suggested.

"Watch it buddy, I'm the only M.D. here." Cara said, grinning at him as he smiled proudly.

Dean rolled his eyes as they walked out the door.

* * *

"Live nude girls?" Sam asked as they walked out of the hospital and towards the Impala.

"A club called 'The Honey Wagon'." Dean nodded.

"Did the other two guys have affairs too, with a stripper also known as Jasmine?" he asked.

"Yes and no. This is where it gets interesting. Each guy hooked up with a different chick." Dean explained.

"So, what? These girls all connected somehow?" Sam asked.

"Well, they all described their stripper in the same way, the exact same way. Perfect, and everything that they wanted." Dean explained as they continued walking.

"Yeah, at least until dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives." Sam reminded him.

"There's that." Dean nodded.

"You know, it's almost like they were under some kinda love spell." Sam suggested.

"Sure seems that way." Dean agreed.

"Which caused them to become totally psychotic." Sam said.

"Absolutely."

"Hey, where's Elena?" he asked, looking around.

"She's at the motel for some reason." Dean shrugged, still confused by her strange behavior.

"You seem pretty cheery." Sam acknowledged with an interested look.

Dean smiled deviously over at his little brother.

"Strippers, Sammy. Strippers. We're on an actual case involving strippers. Finally." He sighed as if it was a long time coming.

* * *

Finding the strip club had been easy enough. Getting in was even easier. Then, sadly enough, getting a job there was the easiest thing she'd ever done in her life. All she had to say was the word 'job' and the owner was practically throwing outfits at her. Thin scraps of fabric that could barely cover anything were laid out before her on a counter in the back room where the women got ready. There were naked girls all around her in various stages of getting ready to either go outside and perform or go home after a long shift. She didn't mind the nudity. She was a woman and she hadn't ever really been shy about her body.

She'd gone skinny-dipping with Caroline and Bonnie before, as well as half of the high school. It wasn't a big deal. What was a big deal was that she knew that Sam and Dean would eventually follow the breadcrumbs that led right to that strip club.

"You all right, hon?" a woman asked, walking up with a schoolgirl outfit on, complete with her hair in pigtails.

"I'm fine. Just… it's been a while." Elena sighed.

It wasn't untrue. It had been a while. She hadn't been an actual stripper but in a moment of drunken stupidity, she'd done a strip routine at Matt's sixteenth birthday party for the birthday boy. Though she really only stripped down to the swimsuit she was wearing underneath her shorts and tank top, it was the talk of the high school for the next few days. The good news was that apparently, there was a safety option in strip clubs. If a girl was uncomfortable, she could choose to keep most of her clothing on as she danced.

"You'll be fine. It's like riding a biker." The woman shrugged, leaning forward to check her lipstick in the mirror.

"A bike." Elena corrected her with wide eyes.

"Did I say biker? Well what can I say? I'm a whore." She said with a wink, slapping Elena's ass before walking away.

Elena jumped and looked in the mirror, wondering why the hell she thought this was a good idea.

* * *

"I'm looking for three girls. Jasmine, Aurora and Ariel!" Dean shouted over the music to the owner.

"You seriously think those names mean anything to me?" the man scoffed, looking around to make sure that his club was in order.

"One's a redhead about 5'9". The other one's Asian, about..." Dean began explaining.

"You have any idea how many girls I deal with? Fake names, fake hair, fake..."

"You have to have some sort of paperwork. Cheque stubs. Some way to keep track of the strippers." Dean interrupted him, trying to keep his eyes on the man instead of wandering around the club.

"Please, exotic dancers. Independent contractors working for cash. I stay out of their hair, they stay out of what little I have left." He said, gesturing to his head.

"Three of your customers murdered their wives. You don't think that that's weird?"

"Yeah. I think that's super fucking weird. But you know what it ain't? My problem." He shrugged, turning to walk away.

But then he suddenly turned back and glanced around the club.

"If you're gonna stay, I'm gonna need you to look like you belong. A lot of these women… well they aren't exactly on the cleaner side of the law. If they get one whiff of you being lawmen, half of my girls'll leave and I can't have that happening. So you sit down at get a drink. In fact…" he smiled deviously and Dean stared at him nervously. "… I just got a new girl and I know she'd be interested in you."

He grinned, gesturing at an empty table before turning to scurry off like the rat he was.

"Any luck?" Sam asked as he walked up.

"No. You?" Dean asked as he sat at the table.

"A little. I just talked to Bobby, we officially have a theory." Sam said, sitting down as well, though he wasn't sure why they were sitting down.

"What's that?" Dean asked as a girl bent over them with everything and more spilling out of her tiny top.

"Siren." The younger brother said, his eyebrow cocked at the girl.

"Can I get you something to drink? Or eat?" she asked in a breathy voice, looking at them both with sex eyes.

"Out of the way, Ginger. This is my table." A familiar voice said, causing both of the brothers' eyebrows to shoot up into their hairlines as the busty stripper got a pissed look and turned to glare at her.

Elena smirked up at her as she held the tray in her hands. Luckily, she'd been given waitressing duty for her first and only day at the strip club.

"Let's not have a repeat performance of earlier, Ginger. You already had to cover up one eye with concealer." She said with a wink, shooing her off before focusing on the shocked brothers in front of her.

She slowly bent over, aware of the short skirt that was riding up to show the silk and lace underneath. When her lips were at Dean's ear, she made it look like she was acting like a stripper would.

"You're not supposed to know me. Act normal. Now nod." she whispered before standing up and placing her tray on the table.

Dean practically jumped out of his skin when she sat on his lap, her legs thrown over the side as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"It's about damn time you showed up. I've been here for two freaking hours." She hissed as she kept a friendly grin on her face.

"Well what the hell are you doing here… in that?" Sam asked, forced to do the asking as Dean was still completely in shock at having a half clothed Elena on his lap in a strip club.

"I have received more information in the past two hours than I have anywhere else ever. These girls are really open once they think that you're one of them. Except Ginger, she's really just a bitch." Elena said, glaring over at the woman who was giving a trucker a lap dance.

Sam nodded and Dean was still speechless, unable to move.

"The three strippers, Jasmine, Aurora, and Ariel… they're all gone. They disappeared right after the murders. None of the girls ever saw them again. But every time they disappear, a new stripper appears. I haven't been able to figure out who the other new one is. Now what were you saying about a siren?" Elena asked.

"Like Greek myth siren, the Odyssey?" Dean asked, finally finding his voice.

Sam and Elena stared at him with matching astonished expressions.

"Hey, I read!" he said, defending himself.

"I know you do." Elena said, smiling at him as she brushed his hair back.

"But the siren's not actually a myth, it's more of a beautiful creature that preys on men, enticing them with their siren song." Sam said to the two of them.

"Let me guess, 'Welcome to the Jungle?' No, no. Warrant's 'Cherry Pie.'" Dean chuckled, finally back to normal.

"Their song is more of a metaphor, like...like their call, their allure, you know?" Sam said.

"So they shake their thing and the guys zombie out. You wanna give us a demonstration?" he asked Elena, his eyes falling down on her rhinestone-encrusted black bra and matching short skirt.

"No!" she snapped, slapping his chest.

"Katerina! I believe that I told you to come entertain the men, not sit on their lap and converse with them." The owner hissed as he walked up and grabbed Elena's arm, yanking her off of Dean's lap.

"Hey!" Dean said, jumping up and holding his hands out towards her.

She shook her head with wide eyes. If the owner thought that she knew them, he would think that she was with the FBI too.

"She was doing exactly what I wanted her to do." Dean said, narrowing his eyes at the man.

The owner looked down at Elena, who was staring at Dean with wide eyes.

"Is that true?" he asked gruffly.

She nodded slowly and he let her go, half tossing her back to Dean.

"She's yours for as long as you want." He said as Dean forced himself to remain still instead of catching her and comforting her as he wanted to.

As soon as the man walked away, Dean had her in his lap and was stroking her arm softly where he'd grabbed her so roughly.

"You all right?" he asked, looking up into her dark brown eyes.

"Of course I'm all right. I could have kicked that guy's ass if I wanted to." She said with a grin, wrapping her arms around his neck once more.

"So, sirens?" she asked, looking back at Sam, who also stood up when the owner tried to drag her away.

"Sirens lived on islands, sailors would chase them, completely ignoring the rocky shores... and dash themselves to pieces." He explained.

"Sounds like Adam and his buddies." Dean nodded.

"Yeah. If you were a siren nowadays looking to ruin a bunch of morons, where would you set up shop?" Sam asked, glancing around the club.

"So whatever floats the guy's boat, that's what they look like?" Dean asked as Elena tried to look natural.

"Yeah. You see, sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves. You know, like an illusion." Sam explained.

"So it could all be the same chick? Morphing into, uh, to different dream girls?"

"Yeah, actually. Probably. Sirens are usually pretty solitary." Sam nodded.

"How do we kill it?" Elena asked.

"Bobby's working on it. Even if we figure that out..." the younger Winchester trailed off.

"… how the hell are we gonna find it? It could be anybody." The older brother said, looking around.

Elena looked around as well, catching the pissed look in the owner's eyes.

"Hey, listen, he's getting pretty antsy with me only sitting on your lap. Sam, you may not want to be here for this." Elena said, her cheeks flooding with color as she blushed.

"For what?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

"I'm about to give your brother a lap dance." Elena said plainly.

Sam was up and out of his seat quickly, saying something about the motel as he walked off. Elena stood up and looked down at Dean, who was looking up at her with surprise.

"Part of the job." She shrugged, sinking down on his lap as she straddled his legs.

He sighed slightly when her hips began moving, her hands on his shoulders to steady her as she got used to the rhythm.

"Have you had to do any other lap dances?" Dean asked roughly, trying to keep himself under control as she danced on him.

"Nope. This is my first." Elena said, smiling at him as she saw the potential jealousy slip away.

"I'm not even going to ask if this is your first lap dance. I know the answer to that." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Jealous?" Dean taunted, a lazy grin forming on his face.

She stared at him with surprise and chose that moment to grind her hips into his. Never mind that the feeling of his already hard erection sent heat rushing through her body, it caused a loud groan to escape from his mouth and his head to fall back.

"Absolutely not." She breathed in his ear as she slid up his body to slide her hands into his hair.

She tugged lightly, as she knew he loved, and was rewarded with a moan of appreciation.

"How long do you have to work?" he whined, his forehead falling to her shoulder as she sank back onto his lap.

"I can leave now. I don't think I'm going to get anymore information here." She whispered, running her fingers through his hair softly.

"Yeah, let's do that." Dean nodded, kissing her throat before she stood up.

"Stay here, let me go get dressed." She said.

"No, stay in that." Dean said, a wicked glint in his eyes as he smirked up at her.

She grinned down at him.

"All right." she agreed, turning to walk off.

As she walked into the back room, she bumped into another girl.

"Oh, sorry Belle." She said, stumbling slightly before she made it to her clothing that was shoved into a locker.

She quickly pulled on her black trenchcoat and shoved the rest of the clothing into a plastic bag before slipping off the stripper heels and putting on her normal black heels. When she walked out and into the club, she came face to face with the owner.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"You told that guy he could have me as long as he wants. Let's just say he took that to heart." She shrugged, breezing past the sleazy man as she walked to Dean and immediately wrapped herself around him, pressing her lips to his fervently.

When she drew away, he stared at her with a smile.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to and I can." She explained simply, turning her head to wink at the owner before taking Dean's hand and allowing him to lead her out of the strip club.

* * *

When they arrived outside, it turned out to be raining quite hard.

"Stay here. I'll go get the car." Dean said, gesturing to the small covering that was outside the club.

Elena nodded and huddled there as Dean ran into the rain. A few moments later, another man ran up and took one look at Elena.

"You going in?" he asked, gesturing to the door as the bouncer opened it for him.

She looked over at him and shook her head. He wasn't terribly bad looking. In fact, with his dark hair and green eyes, he looked a little bit like Dean. But he wasn't nearly as good looking. His skin was too pale and he was too skinny. Nothing at all like the real thing. He smiled at her, his teeth a little crooked.

"Are you getting off duty?" he asked, gesturing to her clothing.

She stared at him and nodded.

"Well, how would you like a drink? I'm buying." He offered.

She heard the Impala pull up as she stared at the man.

"No thanks, I'm taken." She said, turning to the car and running out to it, yanking the door open and sliding in as quickly as she could.

"Was that guy flirting with you?" Dean growled, looking even hotter with rain drops sliding from his hair down his face.

"I don't care." Elena said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

As they pulled away, neither of them saw the heated glare that the man was sending both of them.

* * *

When they got to the motel room, Elena was barely able to set her stuff down before Dean was behind her slowly unbuttoning her coat. She leaned back into him as his hands pulled the coat apart and slid it off of her body. Then his hand laid flat on her taut stomach as his other one stroked her side from the bottom of her bra to her thigh and back up.

"You look amazing." He whispered.

"This isn't really my kind of outfit." She murmured back, sliding her hand over his that was on her abdomen still.

His touch was sending warm shivers throughout her entire body. As she trembled, he whirled her around and lifted her easily, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"You… smell… like… strip club." He said between kisses.

An idea sprung to her mind instantly and she wondered if it was because she was so aroused by his actions.

"Then wash it off of me." she suggested softly, kicking off her heels as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

**WARNING**

He stared up at her with surprise before slowly backing up towards the bathroom. When they got in there, their bodies were moving in a flurry of activity. Dean practically ripped the skirt off of her after she yanked his suit jacket off as well as his tie and button down shirt. Then his pants came off as well as his undershirt. Dean lifted her onto the counter and stood between her legs, capturing her lips in his desperately. As he began kissing down her throat and her collarbone, his hands wrapped around her back and pulled her closer to him, their bodies pressed together as tightly as they could be.

"Dean!" Elena whimpered as his arousal rubbed against her heated core.

His hands slid up her back at her plea and easily unhooked her bra. Elena gasped and held his upper arms tightly.

"Are you okay? Did I move too fast?" he asked, suddenly panicked as he started to draw away from her.

"No. I was just… surprised." Elena admitted, looking up at him and smiling softly.

Then, after swallowing very roughly, she slowly pushed him away and allowed the rhinestone bra to slide down her arms before she tossed away. Dean's eyes widened as they took in her bare torso. It was the first time he'd seen her like this. Elena became a little bit self-conscious under his gaze and moved to cover herself up. He stopped her and looked up into her eyes.

"You're beautiful." he whispered, pressing his lips softly and gently to hers as he pressed himself to her once again.

This time when his lips trailed down her neck, he picked her up and whirled her around, pressing her against the wall as his mouth went to her chest. She sighed and leaned her head back as his lips barely touched the top of her bare breast. Suddenly her back arched and she cried out when his hand came up and slid over her other soft mound, his thumb immediately finding her nipple and stroking it softly. As she writhed underneath him, his lips enclosed around the other hard pebble and explored it slowly with his tongue. Elena was practically a crying mess as he did this, her body not used to these feelings.

After about a minute, Dean kissed back up her body and looked her in the eyes. His hands trailed down her sides and, when she felt them hook in her underwear, she pushed her hips off of the wall and nodded. He stared deep into her eyes as he slid them down her legs, not even looking away as she stepped out of them. Elena sighed and let her hands fall down his back, going to his boxers. He quickly allowed her to pull them off and their eyes remained on the other's eyes as they stood there, naked, and both very aroused. Finally, in sync, they pushed away from each other and let their eyes wander. Elena could barely breath as she took him in fully.

She thought he was beautiful before, no she knew it. But seeing him in all of his glory, and glorious he was, she could hardly think of a more perfect sight. When her eyes met him again, she saw all of her own thoughts reflected in them and she smiled softly. She slowly took his hand and turned, backing them up towards the shower. Her hand reached backwards and she immediately brought hot water streaming out of the nozzle. They climbed in clumsily, both shaky on their feet as their proximity to each other's naked bodies made them a little fuzzy.

Elena immediately brought Dean into an embrace as he pressed her against the wall. Their bodies were drenched in water almost instantly and it only added to their arousal. Elena's hand drifted down his torso, tracing every muscle that she could feel, before she let her hand slowly drift over his erection. Her eyes drifted downward as she gripped it and began moving her hand back and forth, twisting and pumping, her eyes watching her every movement. The sounds that were coming out of his mouth only made her move faster.

"Fuck! Elena… shit that feels…" he said breathlessly, his hips thrusting into her hand.

"I know." Was all she said, grinning up at him.

He stared down at her for a moment, his eyes darkened with lust, before his hand reached down and pulled her legs apart slightly. When his fingers found her slick womanhood, she moaned as they eagerly slid into her, stretching her wonderfully. He moved slowly at first, his thumb flicking over her sweet spot every once in a while.

"Dean! Please I need… more…. please!" she whimpered, her hips grinding down into his hand.

As she went faster, so did he. Their bodies writhed together as they pleased each other. Their lips found the other and their moans and cries were drowned out by their passionate kiss. Elena began to spasm first, throwing her head back and letting out a sharp cry of relief as her walls clenched around his fingers. Dean came next, his manhood twitching in her hand as the hot liquid spilled onto her stomach. As they came down from their high, Elena smiled at him, causing him to grin back.

**-WARNING OVER-**

"You should keep that outfit." He said.

She laughed and shook her head as he turned her to stand under the water. For the rest of their shower, they laughed and joked around, both glowing in the midst of their new sexual venture. Elena tossed a fruity soap filled washcloth at him when he began to mess with her long tendrils of hair. He laughed at her as she stood on her tip toes to wash his hair. As she climbed out of the shower and he elected to stay in for a little bit longer, she slapped his hand away as he attempted to grope her ass.

"No sir." She admonished, smiling back at him as he smirked deviously.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded before disappearing behind the curtain.

She shook her head as she dried off and walked out into the room. After quickly putting a pair of warm sweatpants and one of Dean's t-shirts on, she sat on the bed as she combed her hair out. As she scanned the room, her eyes came to rest on the bedside table where Sam's phone sat. She looked around and hesitantly reached out, picking it up. Her finger immediately hit redial and she held it up to her ear as she held her breath.

"Hey, Sam... Sam? You there...?" Ruby's voice echoed from the other end.

Elena immediately hung up and looked down at the phone as dread filled her. At that moment, the door to the motel room opened and Sam walked in. He looked around to see Elena sitting on the bed holding his phone with hurt and sadness in her eyes.

"Elena…" he began.

"You left your phone." She said roughly, standing up to shove it in his chest.

"It isn't…" he tried again.

"I don't want to hear it, Sam." She snapped, cutting him off as she turned away from him to sit on the bed.

Dean chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one around his neck that he was using to dry his hair.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking between Sam and Elena.

"We've got another siren vic. I went to the police station when I heard about it. Lenny Bristol." Sam announced when Elena remained silent.

"You get in to see him?" Dean asked, walking to his bag to retrieve clothing.

Elena simply watched them converse as she braided her hair over her shoulder.

"Yep. He bought home a stripper named Belle. A couple of hours later, he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA." Sam explained, sitting on the other bed and trying to catch Elena's eye.

She sighed and shook her head. Belle. She'd talked to the stripper. She'd talked to the siren and she didn't even know it.

"Wait, he killed his mom?" Dean asked, turning around as he walked back to the bathroom.

"The woman he was closest too." Sam nodded just before his phone rang.

Elena narrowed her eyes at it before turning to the bathroom and walking in it behind Dean. He already had his boxers on and was in the process of pulling on a pair of jeans.

"Uh, no. And, uh, it doesn't seem like she's slowing down any. You got anything?" they heard Sam ask Bobby from the room.

"He's been calling Ruby." She said softly before hopping up onto the counter to look at Dean.

She'd already made the mistake of keeping Sam's activities a secret once before. She wasn't about to do it again.

"Ruby? Why?" Dean replied quietly, glancing back at the door.

Elena shrugged.

"Hold on a sec, I'll put you on speaker. Hey guys!" Sam called.

Elena begrudgingly climbed off of the counter as they walked back into the room to listen to Bobby.

"It says you need 'a bronze dagger, covered in the blood of a sailor, under the spell of the song'." Bobby explained from over the phone.

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked, sounding annoyed with the vagueness.

"You got me. We're dealing with three thousand years of the telephone game here." Bobby said.

"Best guess?" Elena asked.

"Well hello, Elena. The siren's spell ain't got nothing to do with any song. It's most likely some kind of toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic's blood." He explained.

"And makes them go all Manchurian Candidate. Uh, what do you think, she infects the men during sex?" Sam asked.

"Maybe." Bobby said.

"Supernatural STD." Dean chuckled, making Elena smile as Sam shook his head.

"Well, however it happens, once it's done the siren's has to watch her back. She gets a dose of her own medicine..." Bobby trailed off.

"It kills her." Sam realized.

"Like a snake getting iced by its own venom." The older hunter confirmed.

"So we just have to find a way to juice one of the OJs in jail?" Dean asked.

"Not that easy. None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Haven't got a clue where you're going to get the blood you need." Bobby said.

"I think I might have an idea." Sam said, causing them to look at him.

"Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap you up in knots before you know what hit ya." Bobby warned.

* * *

"Dr. Roberts?" Sam asked as they entered the office again.

"Agent Stiles. Can't stay away, huh?" the woman asked.

Her smile fell a bit when she saw Elena's unimpressed face. Something about the woman rubbed her the wrong way and she had no idea what it could be.

"Actually, uh, we're here on business. About the blood samples. The ones with the high... you know... oxytocin?" Sam said.

"You still have them?" Dean asked.

"Mm-hmm." she nodded.

"Good, we need them." He said, short and to the point.

"What for?" Dr. Roberts asked.

A man walked into the office, staring at them before turning his attention on the doctor.

"Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?" he questioned.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Excuse me, uh, we're a little busy here, buddy." Dean said, getting out his badge.

"Yeah, so am I, pal." The man fired back, getting out his own FBI badge.

Sam and Elena shared a panicked look.

"Doc, can you give us a sec, please?" Sam asked.

"Sure." She nodded, standing up to leave her office.

"Thanks." Sam said appreciatively as Elena narrowed her eyes at the woman.

"What's your name?" Dean asked.

"Nick Munroe. What's yours?" the man countered.

"I'm Special Agent Sam Stiles, this is my partner Dean Murdoch and our analyst, Elena Volovich. What office are you from?" Sam demanded.

"Omaha, Violent Crimes Unit. My SAC sent me down here to see about the murders." He said.

"Hmm." Sam murmured.

"You?" Munroe asked.

"D.C. Our Assistant Director assigned us." Dean explained.

"Oh, which AD?" Munroe asked.

"Mike Kaiser." Sam replied.

"What are your badge numbers?"

"You're kidding, right?" Dean scoffed

"I'm just following protocol." Munroe shrugged.

"Look man, whatever. Just call our AD, he'll sort things out." Sam said, handing him the card with the fake FBI number on it that would reach Bobby.

"Yeah, Assistant Director Kaiser, please." He said when the phone was answered.

After a pause, he began speaking again.

"Yes, sir. Hello. It's Agent Nick Munroe. I'm calling about two of your men. Stiles and Murdoch? Uh, it seems that they've been put on my case by mistake?" Munroe questioned.

"No, no, no, sir. I'm not questioning... uh, no sir."

"I'm sorry, guys." He said, moving back over to them after Bobby hung up on him.

"Just don't let it happen again." Dean shrugged with an easy smile.

"Where are you at with this?" Munroe asked, looking between them.

"Where are you at with this?" Dean countered stubbornly.

It was like watching a tennis match as Elena's head kept going back and forth.

"Well, I was just about to run the, uh, perps' bloodwork." Munroe explained.

"I already checked, dead end." Sam informed him.

"Oh yeah?" the man asked.

"Yeah." Sam said, not impressed in the slightest.

"But get this. I feel like I found something that, uh, connects all the murderers." Munroe said, sounding a bit proud.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"They were all banging strippers... from the same club."

"You don't say!" Dean exclaimed with a cheesy grin.

"What do you say we, uh, go down there and check it out?" Munroe suggested.

"Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kind of lone wolves..." Dean began.

"You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea. Just... just give me a second with my partner and our girl here and we'll, uh... one sec. Come here." Sam hissed, bringing them aside.

"Dude, you got to stay with him." Sam whispered.

"What?" Dean hissed.

"Keep him out of the way." Sam shrugged.

"Why me?" Dean asked.

"'Cause I have to get the blood samples." Sam said.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

"Just take him to the strip club...keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just... just focus on the naked girls. You'll forget he's even there!" Sam said, smirking at his brother.

Elena glared at him, making him cower away from her.

"I'm not doing this for you." Dean growled, grabbing Elena's arm and steering her towards the man, Agent Munroe.

As they walked out of the hospital, Elena remained at Dean's side giving glances to Munroe.

"All right, we're taking my ride, no complaining about the tunes." Dean instructed as Elena climbed in the front and gave the man a pointed glare that told him to climb in the back.

"No way. You drive an Impala?" Munroe asked, looking around the car with wonder.

"Yeah." Dean said proudly.

"It's a '67, right? It's a 327 four barrel." He said, Elena spacing out at the boy car talk.

"Yeah, actually." Dean said, sounding surprised.

"It's a thing of beauty." Munroe sighed.

"Thanks."

"How the hell did you talk the Bureau into letting you drive your own wheels?" he asked.

Elena and Dean shared a glance with a slight smile.

* * *

"Nobody's Fault But Mine." Dean quizzed as they sat outside the strip club looking for anything mysterious.

"Zeppelin recorded it in '75. It was a cover of a Blind Willie Johnson tune." Munroe said.

"Nice." Dean nodded appreciatively.

"You Shook Me." Munroe countered.

Elena crossed her arms and stared at the door to the club.

"'69, debut album, written by Willie Dixon." Dean said from memory.

"And...?" Munroe asked.

"And what?" Dean asked.

"Written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir." Munroe said, grinning at Dean.

"Dude. Dude! You know, for a fed, you're not a total dick." Dean said, grinning back at him.

Elena stared between them for a moment. For having just met, Dean and Nick Munroe were far too alike for her tastes. Almost… creepily alike. Elena frowned and pulled out her phone slowly, pulling up Bobby's number.

**Look up Nick Munroe, something weird about him**

She sent it before sliding the device back into her pocket.

"Aren't we both feds?" Munroe asked.

"Yeah, I know, I just... you know, not a lot of feds are as cool as us, huh?" Dean said, forgetting himself momentarily.

"So what the hell with this case, man? How does a girl talk four different johns into murder?"

"It's a crazy world." Dean nodded.

"I guess. Hey, can I level with you?"

"Mmm." Dean said.

"I found something kind of weird." Munroe said.

"Well. You have bought your weird to the right spot. Lay it on me." Dean nodded.

"I went to the crime scene this morning. Saw them bagging this up." He handed up a bag with a flower in it. "So I went back, uh, through all the files. It turns out a flower just like that was found at every crime scene."

"Like it was left on purpose?" Dean asked, looking at it.

"You know, sometimes a serial killer will leave an object behind, like a calling card. But with this case? Tell you the truth, I got no idea what's going on." Munroe said, shaking his head.

"It's a hyacinth." Elena said.

They looked at her strangely.

"My mom loved flowers." She shrugged before looking out the window again.

"I think I might know what's going on. I've seen a flower like this before. In that Dr. Roberts' office." Dean said, pulling out his phone.

* * *

After dropping Agent Munroe off at his motel, Elena and Dean were speeding towards their own temporary home when Dean's phone rang.

"Sam! Where the hell have you been?" Dean demanded as he put the phone on speaker.

"With Cara." Sam said simply.

"Oh, it's Cara now? And you're not picking up your phone?" Dean snapped.

"We were trying to find the blood samples… someone stole 'em."

"Yeah, I bet!" Dean scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam demanded.

"Agent Munroe found flower petals at the crime scenes. Hyacinths." Elena said.

"So?" Sam asked.

"Hyacinths? Mediterranean. From the island where the whole damn siren myth started in the first place." Dean said, exasperated.

"Okay." Sam said carelessly.

"Sam, Cara had hyacinth flowers!" Dean stressed.

"You think Cara's the siren?" Sam laughed, sounding unbelieving.

"Well, I did a little checking up on her. She's only been in town for two months." Dean explained.

"Yeah. And?" Sam asked.

"And she has an ex-husband. A dead ex-husband, Carl Roberts. Dropped like a stone, no warning. Supposedly a heart attack." Elena recited.

"Well, maybe it was a heart attack." Sam suggested.

"You're kidding me." Dean deadpanned.

"Look, I just don't think it's her." Sam shrugged.

"And what makes you so sure?" Dean asked.

"I dunno, a hunch." Sam replied.

"A hunch? I'm giving you cold hard facts here and you're giving me a hunch?" Dean asked as Elena sighed and rubbed her forehead at Sam's behavior.

A few seconds of loaded silence filled the car.

"Did you sleep with her?" Dean asked.

"No." Sam said too quickly.

"Holy shit! You did. Middle of Basic Instinct and you bang Sharon Stone? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!" Dean growled.

"Dude, I'm not under her spell." Sam said defensively.

"Unbelievable, man. I just don't get it." Dean said, shaking his head.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Dean shot back.

"No. Say it." Sam said, sounding angry.

"No, It's just... first it's Madison, and then Ruby, and now Cara. It's like... what is with you and banging monsters?" Dean snapped, causing Elena to stare at him with wide eyes.

Now he was acting strangely.

"Dean, I'm telling you, it's not Cara. I feel fine." Sam argued.

"I'll bet you do." Dean said.

"You don't trust me?" Sam asked.

"No. Because this could be the siren talking." Dean countered.

"Look, tell me where you are, I'll come meet you and we'll figure things out." Sam said.

"No." Dean shot back, suddenly turning the car around to head the complete opposite way.

"Are you serious?" Sam asked, sounding confused and a little hurt.

"I wish I weren't. We have to handle this, Sam. Without you." Dean said, hanging up the phone and tossing it in her lap.

"Dean…" she began.

"We have to call Munroe. He can help us." He said retrieving the phone from her lap and dialing the agent's number.

* * *

Elena watched as Dean walked towards Munroe's car and slid into the passenger's seat. They were both watching the bar that Cara Roberts just entered with steely gazes. She rolled her eyes and looked around. After sitting there for about ten minutes, she looked over to see that Dean was staring at Nick with a strange smile on his face. He nodded and then climbed out of the car, walking over to slide back into the Impala.

"We're going back to the motel." He said, throwing the car into reverse.

"What happened to watching Dr. Roberts?" Elena asked.

"She's not that interesting." Elena stared at him with a confused look.

It didn't take her long to figure out that Munroe was following them back to the motel. After that, it took her even less time to figure out that Dean was under the siren's spell and the siren was Agent Nick Munroe. When they got to the motel room, she lunged for the bedside table to get a knife. Munroe launched out and grabbed her by the hair, slamming her into the wall.

"Not so fast, little miss." He said, pulling out a knife and pressing it to her throat as Dean just stood there.

"He won't help you. He's devoted to me right now. This could have been so much easier if you'd fallen for my tricks outside that strip club but I suppose that you are far too involved with him." Nick said, looking at her.

The door suddenly jiggled and Elena opened her mouth to scream. Unfortunately, Nick slammed her head against the wall so hard that her vision went black and she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

* * *

When Elena came to, she opened her eyes to see Dean holding Sam against a wall with the knife against his throat. There was already a cut that was bleeding down his neck.

"You poisoned him." Sam spat at Munroe.

"No. I gave him what he needed. And it wasn't some bitch in a G-string. It was you. A little brother that looked up to him, that he could trust. And now he loves me. He'd do anything for me. And I have to tell you, Sam, that kind of devotion? I mean, watching someone kill for you? It's the best feeling in the world." Munroe breathed, smiling.

"Is that why you're slutting all over town?" Sam demanded.

"I get bored, like we all do. And I wanna fall in love again. And again... and again." He said.

"I'll tell you what. I have fought some nasty sons of bitches, but you are one needy pathetic loser." Sam said.

"You won't feel that way in a minute." Nick said, walking to him and grabbing his cheeks before squirting the toxin from his mouth onto Sam's lips and chin.

Elena grimaced as she slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"So I know you two have a lot you wanna get off your chests. So why don't you discuss it? And whoever survives can be with me forever." Nick said, glancing at a still woozy Elena.

She opened her mouth to argue as Sam and Dean turned to face each other. Nick walked over, bending down to her.

"And you… well I like you too."

Elena pulled away but it was too late. His toxin squirted into his mouth and she winced, spitting it out onto the ground. It tasted like sour milk.

"What the fuck?" she growled, glaring up at him.

Nick looked shocked, staring at her with wide eyes as he staggered away. Elena's attention was grabbed by the brothers again as they began speaking.

"Well, I don't know when it happened. Maybe when I was in hell. Maybe when I was staring right at you. But the Sam I knew, he's gone." Dean growled.

"That so?" Sam asked.

"And it's not the demon blood or the psychic crap. It's the little stuff. The lies. The secrets."

"Oh, yeah? What secrets?" Sam demanded as Elena concentrated on healing the concussion she definitely had.

"The phone calls to Ruby for one." Dean snapped.

"So I need your say-so to make a phone call?"

"That's the point. You're hiding things from me. What else aren't you telling me?"

"None of your business." Sam snapped as they circled each other.

"See what I mean? We used to be in this together. We used to have each other's backs."

"Okay, fine. You know why I didn't tell you about Ruby, and how we're hunting down Lilith? Because you're too weak to go after her, Dean. You're holding me back. I'm a better hunter than you are. Stronger, smarter. I can take out demons you're too scared to go near." Sam accused him.

"That's bullshit." Dean snapped as Elena stumbled to her feet and found the bronze dagger discarded on the floor.

She picked it up slowly as she advanced on Nick.

"How did it not work?" he demanded, looking panicked.

"I guess I'm immune." She snapped.

"Tell me again how weak I am, Sam, huh? How I hold you back?" Dean taunted as he shoved Sam against the wall and brought the knife up to stab Sam.

Elena turned, grabbing Dean by the throat to shove him into the wall.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered before she shoved the knife into his gut, making him cry out in pain.

Munroe stared at her with wide eyes but he barely made it to the door before she launched forward and pounced on him, shoving the knife into his heart with all the strength that she had. They collapsed on the floor and she rolled over with a sigh, scrambling up to run to Dean and quickly place her hand over his wound. As soon as it was healed, she looked at the two brothers with hesitant and concerned eyes as they avoided each other's gaze.

* * *

"Are you going to be okay?" Elena asked softly as they leaned against the Impala in the parking lot of the motel drinking sodas.

"Yeah, fine." Sam said.

"Yeah, good." Dean nodded.

Elena bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

"You know, those sirens are disgusting creatures. It got to both of you but that's no reason to feel bad."

Sam and Dean still refused to look at each other.

"You gonna say goodbye to Cara?" Dean asked Sam.

"Nah, not interested." Sam said, shaking his head.

"Really? Why not?" Dean asked.

"What's the point?" Sam shrugged.

"Well, look at you. Love 'em and leave 'em." Dean said, chuckling with no amusement.

"Dean, look, you know I didn't mean the things I said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?" Sam said.

"Of course, me too." Dean nodded.

Silence filled the air as Elena watched them.

"Okay. So... so we're good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Dean nodded.

They turned to get in the car as Elena remained standing there. They were lying. They were not good. Nothing was good. It was broken and Elena had no idea how to fix it. That, added to the fact that the siren's poison didn't work on her, was filling her mind with all sorts of jumbled thoughts. She sighed and started forward to walk to the car. Someone appeared in her path and she shrieked, jumping backwards.

"We need to talk. It's time for you to learn." Castiel said before reaching out and touching her arm, transporting her out of the parking lot.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Next: Next chapter, as Dean and Sam deal with a town where no one is dying, Elena finally receives an explanation from Castiel.**


	21. All Our Times Have Come

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult**

**A few things:**

**1. The entire explanation of Elena's abilities is in this chapter.**

**2. Elena's outfit is on my profile.**

**3. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena inhaled sharply as they landed on solid ground once more. She whirled around, trying to figure out where they were. It was dark, for some reason, and she could hear the sound of car alarms.

"What the hell?" she demanded, rounding on the angel.

He wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes were focused forward and she looked as well to see a parking lot full of overturned cars.

"Cas, what is that?" she asked hesitantly.

He still didn't answer, starting forward to approach the parking lot. Elena walked beside him. When they reached the cars, they walked around them to a beautiful blonde woman lying in the middle of the pavement.

"What happened to her?" Elena said, her eyes wide as the knelt beside the unmoving body.

Cas' hand went to her face and gently closed her eyes before running over the wound in her chest.

"She was one of my sisters." He said softly, looking as devastated as he could past his unemotional mask.

Elena bit her lip, unsure of what to say. It was hard to believe that she was actually looking at a dead angel. Even though she knew they could die, it was hard to let go of the idea that they were invincible. As she squinted at the ground around her, she could see a faint outline of wings on the asphalt.

"Who killed her?" she asked.

"I don't know. Whoever it was… whatever it was… she put up a fight." Cas said, looking around at the cars.

"I'm sorry." She said, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

He looked up at her with slightly confused eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because she was your family. And it's sad." Elena explained softly.

Cas stared at her, still looking confused but also slightly understanding at the same time. She stood at the same time he did, police sirens causing them to look around to see quite a few cop cars speeding towards the scene.

"We must go." Castiel said, stepping forward to touch her shoulder.

Elena opened her mouth to argue but they were already in another place.

"Okay stop." She said, stepping back as she held her hands up.

He stared at her.

"What is going on? Why did you take me away from Dean and Sam? Do you realize how much they are freaking out right now? You can't just whirl me away from where I am like that! Take me back!" Elena demanded.

"I can't." he said simply.

She opened her mouth to argue more.

"Please stop. You talk very quickly when you are upset and it gets rather high-pitched." Castiel said, much to her surprise.

Her mouth fell open as her eyes widened.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That is possibly the most human thing I've ever heard you say. But I do not get high-pitched." She said, a little put off by his statement.

"If you think that the Winchesters are concerned over your location, why don't you call them on that device of yours?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I can't! That device of mine is in the freaking Impala!" she screeched, suddenly realizing that he was exactly right about her voice when she got upset.

It made her even more annoyed. Castiel looked around and she realized that they were standing in a park with very few people.

"She would like to use your communication device." Cas said, stopping the first person he saw.

Elena rolled her eyes as the man stared at the angel with a confused look.

"Can I borrow your cell phone for a minute?" she sighed, starting forward to turn the man's attention to her.

"Yeah." He said slowly, pulling it out of his pocket.

"Thank you." she said with a smile, taking it from him and quickly dialing Dean's number.

"What?" his voice said, sounding pissed and panicked at the same time as she expected it to.

"Dean." She sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Elena! Where are you?" he demanded, the anger melting from his voice to be replaced by concern.

"I'm fine, Dean. I'm with Cas." She said, staring at the angel who was standing by the man who looked confused.

"What the hell? Where did he take you?" Dean asked.

"I don't know where the hell I am. I could be in Paris for all I know." Elena said, looking around the generic park.

"I assure you that we're not in France." Cas said, attempting to reassure her.

"Thanks." She said dryly.

"Tell that feathery bastard to get you back here now." Dean said, sounding pissed again.

"I can't exactly command him to bring me back, Dean." She said, looking at Cas.

"Hey, is something going on? Did he… kidnap you?" the man asked, confused at the topic of conversation.

Elena shook her head at him.

"I'm fine." She assured him.

"Who's that?" Dean asked.

"The man whose phone I'm using." She explained.

"Tell him to shut his damn mouth." Dean said.

"I can't tell him to do that, Dean. I'm borrowing his phone." Elena argued, exasperated by the conversation.

"Can I have my phone back now?" the man asked.

"He's asking for his phone back." she said.

"Tell Cas to bring you back! Put him on the phone and let me tell him!" Dean said.

"Let me just see what he wants." Elena said, a bit curious herself.

"Who? The man with the phone or Cas?" Dean asked.

"Seriously, my phone please?" the stranger asked.

"In a minute." Elena waved him off.

"But…" he began to argue.

"She said in a minute." Cas said, putting a hand out to stop the man from walking towards her.

"Dean, I can't talk for much longer. As soon as I figure out what the hell Cas wants, I'll have him bring me back." Elena said.

"No! He can bring you back now!" Dean snapped.

"Don't snap like that! And Cas, stop glaring at the nice man who let me borrow his phone." She berated the angel, who was giving the man a squinting look.

"I really think I should have my phone back now." The man said, starting forward.

"She's not ready." Cas said simply, pressing two fingers to the stranger's forehead and causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

"Oh God… Cas just knocked out the man with the phone. Dean, I have to go. I'll see you soon." Elena said into the phone.

"Wait! No!" Dean began to argue.

"Just go back to Bobby's. I'll meet you there as soon as possible." She said.

"Elena…" he began.

"Dean, calm down. I'll see you soon. What were you thinking, Cas?" she asked, hanging the phone up and bending down to squat next to the man.

"He was being impatient. I do not like impatience." He said simply, staring down at the man.

"Yeah? Tell that to the lynch mob." She said.

They both looked up at the people who were starting to walk towards them.

"All right… Cas? You can run in that trenchcoat right?" she asked, placing the phone on the man's chest before slowly backing away.

"Yes, but I don't know why I would run when I can just take us wherever we need to go." the angel said with confusion.

"Because the only thing that could make this situation worse is all of those people seeing us apparate out of here." Elena said, grabbing Castiel's arm and turning them around to run away from the stranger and the gathering crowd.

They reached the tree line and, once they were out of sight, she felt her feet leave the ground once more.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around at the bright green field.

"Somewhere in Scotland, I believe." Cas said, looking around as well.

Elena stared at him with wide eyes.

"You brought me to Scotland?" she exclaimed.

"I need you to be fully focused on me. I only took you away from Dean and Sam so that I could have your attention. I intend to tell you about what you are." Cas said.

Elena stared at him, becoming quiet as she turned his words over in her head.

"Seriously? No vague hints or random comments about it? The truth?" she asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"And it has to be done in Scotland… because…?" Elena questioned.

"I thought that it might be peaceful for you." Cas said.

"Oh… ok." She said, looking around.

"But first, I must make a call." He said, pulling a phone out of his pocket.

Elena stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"If you had a cell phone, why didn't you let me use it to call Dean?" she said, trying to keep her patience with the infuriating angel.

"Because I did not want to Dean to recognize the number." Castiel explained, quickly pressing the talk button and holding it to his ear.

"How are you even getting service out here?" Elena asked.

* * *

Dean tapped a button on the jukebox, then hit the jukebox hard, glaring down at it. Sam was back at the table of the diner they drove to so that they could figure out what to do with Elena's sudden disappearance. Suddenly Sam's phone rang. He answered it.

"Hey Bobby." He said.

Dean's attention turned to him.

"Ask him about Elena." Dean said.

"No, no, no, you're right, it's definitely weird. Okay, Bobby, thanks." Sam said, shaking his head at Dean as he hung up the phone.

"Why the hell didn't you ask about Elena?" Dean demanded as Sam began typing into his computer.

"Bobby found something in Wyoming." He explained.

"A job? No way. My job is to find Elena right now." Dean argued.

"We obviously can't go chasing after an angel, Dean. So how about we concentrate on trying to solve a case until Castiel brings Elena back." Sam suggested.

Dean glared at him as he bit into a burger.

"Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half." He said, continuing as if Dean had agreed to work on the case.

"That so unusual?" Dean snapped, wiping his mouth.

"Well, it's how they're not dying. One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch." Sam said.

"Capped in the ass?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a nine-millimeter." Sam recited, reading off of the computer.

"And he's not a doughnut?" Dean asked with a full mouth as he continued eating.

"Locals are saying it's a miracle." Sam shrugged.

"Okay." Dean scoffed.

"It's got to be something nasty, right? I mean, people making deals or something." Sam

Dean looked as though he was considering it as he sipped his drink.

"You think?" he asked.

"What else would it be?" Sam countered.

"I don't know." Dean said, shaking his head.

"All right." Sam nodded as he put his laptop in his bag.

"Get that to-go." he said, nodding to Dean's food.

Dean looked down at his food and didn't move.

"Come on." the younger brother urged, picking up his own bag.

Dean didn't move a muscle except to chew. Sam stared at him, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

Dean looked up at him as he continued to chew, then glanced away and back.

"Sure you want me going with you?" he finally asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sam asked.

"I don't want to be holding you back or nothing." Dean shrugged, taking another bite out of his burger.

"Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me. Can we get past this?" he asked, sighing with exasperation.

"Yeah, we're past it." Dean said as he put down his burger and brushed his hands off on a napkin.

* * *

Elena stared at Cas with shock as he hung up the phone and turned to face her.

"That… was…" she trailed off.

He just stared, looking patient.

"You just… how was that possible? You just sounded like Bobby." She said, her voice full of shock.

"It was simple." Cas shrugged.

"Why did you do it?" Elena asked.

"Because it would seem that the Winchesters never really do what I, and the other angels, need them to do. So I have to find clever ways to do what I need them to do. This is a seal and I need them to stop it from being broken." He explained.

"That's pretty…" she trailed off.

"I know that you disapprove of many of the ways that angels go about things but it was necessary." Cas sighed.

"No, I was going to say it's pretty genius." She said, nodding her head.

He stared at her with a slightly surprised expression before walking to a large boulder to sit down. She followed his lead, sitting on another boulder beside it.

"You are what the angels call a guardian." He said.

"That's what Esther, the witch, called me." Elena said.

"Ah yes, the witch. I suppose that your story starts with her. She did create your line, after all." Castiel said.

"I thought that the angels created me." Elena said, her voice slightly shaky, as she was feeling both apprehensive and conflicted about finally getting an explanation.

"They created you specifically but there would have been no 'you' without the witch. She messed with things that she did not understand. We righted her wrong." He said.

"Okay?" Elena said, urging him on.

"She thought that she was the first to create a doppelganger. That is not true. Doppelgangers have been around for a very long time. And, contrary to popular belief, they are not an omen of the devil. They are, in fact, the opposite. They are the creation of angels." He said.

She simply nodded as he paused to let her think about his words.

* * *

"Now, you two said you were bloggers?" Jim Jenkins asked, looking at Dean and Sam, who were sitting at the kitchen table of his house.

"Yes, sir. Floored by the Lord dot com." Sam nodded.

"All of God's glory fit to blog." Dean said, grinning.

Sam glanced at him and cleared his throat, trying to get him to act more serious about this.

"Um. Some of the people around town are saying what happened to you was a miracle." He said.

"It was. Plain as day." Jim nodded.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked.

"How else do you explain it? The doctors can't." the man shrugged. "There's a bullet in my heart, and it's pumping like a piston."

"Well, how do you explain it?" Dean asked, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table.

Jim hesitated, looking over at his daughter who was sitting in the living room with her mother.

"Look, honestly. I was nobody's saint… not exactly father of the year, either." Jim explained.

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop? I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance." He said.

"That so?" Dean said, skepticism dripping from his every word.

"I had this feeling… like angels were watching over me." Jim said, pausing as Dean nodded. "I wouldn't expect you guys to understand."

"Well, we'll just have to try." Dean said.

"You wouldn't have happened to have swung by a crossroads in the past week or so?" Sam questioned.

"No." Jim said, confused.

"Maybe you met someone? With black eyes? Or red?" he asked.

Jim leaned forward, squinting between them.

"Who'd you guys say you were again?" he asked.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look.

"Never mind. Thank you for your time." Dean said as they stood up.

Dean walked out of the house first with Sam following him.

* * *

"When humans were created, it was originally planned for angels to be their guardians. Our father was the originator of this idea. As you can imagine, having met Uriel, many of the angels did not agree with this plan. We were warriors, not… babysitters?" Castiel said, sounding unsure of whether or not he used the right terminology.

Elena nodded encouragingly.

"But there needed to be someone to watch over certain important humans. Creations who weren't as strong as angels but who were definitely stronger than humans. They needed to be protectors of their charges. Guardians." He said.

"And… I'm one of those?" Elena asked with wide eyes.

"There is much more to the story before I get to you." he warned her.

She nodded and sat back on her rock.

"At first, the guardian idea was brilliantly executed. We did not need for the guarded to live forever by any means. We needed them to live long enough to do what needed to be done before they were allowed to join us in heaven for their reward. The list of the guarded is short and celebrated. Abraham. Noah. King David." He said.

"All biblical people?" Elena asked.

"Not only 'biblical people'. There are such names on the list that you would recognize. Constantine. William the Conqueror. Joan of Arc. William Wilberforce. Mother Teresa. Abraham Lincoln." He said.

"I hate to tell you, but Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. I'm pretty sure that his guardian failed." Elena said with uncertainty.

"He was relieved of his place on earth after he laid the groundwork for the equality of humans in your country. He did what he was meant to and he was rewarded greatly for it." Castiel explained.

"So… guardians protect important people who are supposed to make important stuff happen?" Elena asked.

"That is the most basic explanation, yes. But there is much more to it. That's where the myth of the doppelganger comes in. After a few hundred years or so, the angels found that it became difficult to keep track of all of the guardians on earth. There were many of them, some of them without a charge but still descended from a line of guardians. We could find them and round them up but it would take a very long time. So we decided to end the line of guardians for a few generations so that they would die out. Then we completely started over, this time more knowledgeable about it." he said.

"Doppelgangers?" Elena said, the connection making sense.

Castiel nodded.

"To make every guardian in the bloodline look exactly the same was the easiest thing to do. We created only ten lines, ten guardians at first whose face was repeated throughout his bloodline until another was called to protect someone. Each guardian line was assigned an angel. It was easier to convince the angels to interact with the guardians as they were a bit higher up the chain than humans but the job of guardian-helper wasn't a coveted position." Castiel said.

"So… where do I come in?" Elena asked.

"The myth of the doppelganger was completely turned around to being evil. There was nothing we could do about it and it actually made it easier for us so we didn't want to dissuade the rumor. Unfortunately, that's where the witch comes in." Castiel said.

Elena nodded, gesturing for him to continue, her mind practically exploding with all of this new information.

* * *

Dean sat at a table in a motel room, Sam's laptop open as he read a news article. Sam walked in, holding a case file.

"Hey." He said as he closed the door and Dean looked up.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

Sam walked over, sitting in a chair as well.

"That cancer survivor? He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug, and now he's taking her out for their twentieth anniversary." He explained.

"Any sign of a deal?" Dean asked.

"No. What about you? Found anyone dying around here?" Sam questioned.

"Not since Cole Griffith." Dean said, looking down at the young boy's obituary. "He dropped ten days ago. It was the last death I could find."

"So, what are you thinking?" Sam asked.

"Eh, maybe it is what the people say it is." Dean shrugged as he stood, walking to the little kitchen in the room.

"Miracles? Dean, our experience, when do miracles just happen?" Sam scoffed, scowling at the screen as he slid the computer over to him.

"Well, there's no deals. There's, uh, no skeevy faith healers." Dean said as he poured a cup of coffee. "I mean, these souls just ain't getting dragged into the light."

Sam sighed, looking as though he was thinking hard. Dean could see it when something dawned on his brother.

"Maybe 'cause there's no one around to carry them." Sam said, turning to look at him.

Dean walked back over and sat in his chair again.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, grim reapers… that's what they do, right? Schlep souls? So, if death ain't in town…" Sam said.

"Then nobody's dying. So what? The local reaper's on strike? Playing the back nine? I don't know, Sam." Dean said, sipping at his coffee.

"Well, then, let's talk to somebody who might." Sam said.

"Well, last I checked, huggy bear ain't available."

"No, dude, the kid." he suggested.

"The kid? The kid's a doornail." Dean scoffed.

"Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him." Sam explained.

"I love how matter-of-fact you are about that. Strange lives." Dean said, chuckling with absolutely no amusement.

* * *

Sam and Dean set up shop at a gravestone engraved **Beloved Son Cole Griffith 1997 – 2009 Forever In Our Memories**. Five candles were arranged around a pentacle drawn on a cloth spread over the grave. Sam put a bundle of sticks in the center of the pentacle as Dean sat on another gravestone and flipped through their father's journal.

"You sure this is going to work?" Dean asked.

Sam looked up at him with an exasperated expression, tired of explaining this to his older brother.

"No. But if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out." he said.

Sam poured a liquid into a bowl as Dean closed the book and sighed heavily.

"What?" Sam asked.

"This job is jacked, that's what." Dean snapped.

"How so?"

"You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this? If we fix whatever this is, people are going to start dropping dead. Good people." Dean said, shaking his head as he stood up.

Sam stood up as well as he brushed his knees off.

"Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order." He said.

"You're kidding, right?" Dean scoffed, turning to stare at him.

"What?" Sam asked, shrugging.

"You don't see the irony in that? I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?" Sam reminded him, causing Dean to stare at him with a slight grimace.

"We're no different than anybody else." he said.

"I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to hell." Sam said simply.

Dean looked away and shook his head.

"Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're going to be." Sam said, trudging around the circle.

Dean looked up, looking as though he wanted to argue again.

"Ah, Joe the Plumber was a douche." He said simply, choosing to keep quiet.

"You going to help me finish this?" Sam asked, gesturing to the grave.

"Hey!" a man interrupted, walking towards them with a flashlight. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Sam said, looking at Dean for help. "Just take it easy."

"What the hell is this?" the man asked, looking at the grave with a disgusted look.

"Okay, this… this… this is not what it looks like." Dean said with a slight laugh, trying to make the situation look better than it was.

"Really? Cause it looks like devil worship." The man accused them.

"What? No! No, this is not devil worship. This… this is… this… this is, uh…" Dean said, shaking his head before he sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I don't have a good answer."

"We're leaving." Sam said quickly.

"You're not going anywhere." The man said as he took a few steps forward and both of the brothers frowned.

"Ever again. Sam." He said, before looking at Dean as his eyes went entirely white.

"Alastair." Dean said, realizing that they were in trouble.

His eyes went back to human and he smirked.

"I thought you got deep fried, extra-crispy." The older brother said, pulling Sam backwards.

"Nah. Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway." Alastair chuckled, looking at Sam, who was practically steaming he was so pissed. "No time to chat. Got a hot date with death."

Dean went flying across the graveyard and collided with a gravestone before falling to the ground unconscious.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, panicked by his lack of movement.

Alastair turned to Sam, smirking as he flicked his hand. Nothing happened and his smile disappeared as he tried again. It was Sam's turn to smirk.

"You're stronger, Sam. You've been soloflexing with your little slut?" Alastair said appreciatively.

"You have no idea." Sam said, lifting his own hand and flicking it.

Alastair flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thump. Sam raised his hand higher to exorcise him but the black smoke flew from the man's body as he fled. Sam dropped his hand, surprised by the demon's quick exit.

* * *

"We'd gone several generations with our guardians and their doppelganger status working out perfectly. That was, until Esther Mikaelson got her hands on a spell to create her own doppelganger line, most likely given to her by Lilith or Alastair to create an answer to our guardians. The Petrova line was not meant to be a doppelganger line." Castiel explained.

"So the Petrova line already existed and Esther cursed it to be a doppelganger line to bind Klaus?" Elena asked as he nodded in confirmation.

"When we got wind of this creation, the original plan was to destroy the entire Petrova line so that it would not be used as a weapon against the angels and their guardians. It was about that time that prophecy was revealed. The apocalypse and the role of two very important figures in the event." He said.

"Sam and Dean." Elena realized.

Castiel nodded.

"It was immediately decided that they should have a guardian because, if the prophecy was true, their life was going to be filled with danger and they should have someone to protect them from everything. It was about that time that the decision had to be made for what to do about the Petrova doppelganger line. They were ready to destroy you until an angel spoke up, suggesting that a guardian be created out of your line. One guardian. No others in the entire line. Just one. Then have the line die out so that it would not be a danger anymore. The archangels actually agreed with this, formulating a plan. One guardian would be created, a special one who would protect the two men who would be important to the apocalyptic prophecy. It was then that they discovered that you were created to be a female." Castiel said.

Elena stared down at her hands with wide eyes. When everyone said that angels created her, they weren't being witty or trying to trick her. She was really hearing the story of how she was created by the angels for a specific path that she was going down so far.

"So the super strength? The healing?" Elena questioned.

"All to help you protect the brothers better." He nodded.

She sighed, shaking her head as it was all full of information.

"And the ritual with Klaus?" she asked.

"That is something we could not stop. It was, after all, what you were originally created for. It was at that ritual that you were activated though. I was appointed to be your guide and helper. I brought you back to life and put the dreams in your head to lead you to Dean. As soon as you found him and his brother, your actual abilities were activated by their presence." He said.

Elena shook her head and stood, pacing.

"So not only has my path been set in stone for centuries, but I don't get a choice in any of it?" she asked.

"No, you get a choice. But the alternative is rather painful." Cas said, watching her.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"Guardians who choose not to follow their rightful path are… well… cut off. Do you feel a slight pain? It could be in your head or in your chest? It doesn't hurt but it's a bit annoying." He said.

As Elena thought about it, she realized that she was feeling exactly what he described. It felt as though something was tickling the edge of her mind to the point of slight pain and annoyance. It wasn't something that was immediately brought to her attention though. It was subtle.

"What is that?" she asked.

"That is your body reacting to the separation from your charges. Guardians are meant to be with them at all times, protecting them. The more time you spend with them, the more profound your bond becomes with them and the more you begin to notice the feeling when you're away from them." Cas explained.

"Great." Elena sighed, throwing up her arms as she was unable to focus on anything else other than the feeling.

"If you think that is bad, imagine the feeling increased a hundredfold. A thousand fold. That is the feeling that a guardian gets when they choose not to pursue the path laid out for them. They are abandoning their very nature and their body punishes them for it even if they've never spent a single moment with their charge." Castiel said.

"That sounds… horrible." Elena said with wide eyes.

"It has been known to drive them insane and to the point of suicide." He nodded.

She grimaced and shook her head.

"So… what now?" she asked, stopping to look at Cas as her mind processed everything that she'd learned.

* * *

Dean groaned as he lay on the bed, an icepack pressed to his head.

"How you doing?" Sam asked as he walked into the motel room.

"I'm in pain, that's how I'm doing. I think I have a concussion." Dean snapped, glaring at the ceiling.

"You want some aspirin?"

Dean sat up and shook his head.

"No thanks, House. So, demons, huh?" he questioned.

"Yeah. So much for miracles." Sam scoffed.

"And what the hell happened with Alastair again?" Dean asked for the fifth time.

"I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever." Sam said, flicking his hand in demonstration as he walked over to the coffeemaker. "And it didn't work, so he bailed."

"Well, how come he couldn't fling you? He chucked you pretty good last time." Dean said, his voice full of doubt.

Sam turned to face Dean and paused before answering.

"Got no idea." He shrugged, turning back and filling a cup with coffee.

"Sam, do me a favor. If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?" Dean said, climbing out of bed.

"What? Dean, I'm not keeping secrets." Sam defended himself, turning back to Dean.

"Mm-hm. Whatever. So, did you go back and Q&A the dead kid?"

Sam walked over to the other bed, holding up a thin notebook.

"Didn't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging." He said, following the change in subject easily.

"And?" Dean asked.

"He thinks I'm right. Local reaper's gone. Not just gone… kidnapped." Sam explained.

"By demons? Why?"

"Listen to this." Sam said as he opened the notebook. "And he bloodied death under the newborn sky… sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured."

"Swanky. What the hell's that mean?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations." He replied.

"Which means what I think it means?" the other brother asked.

"Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon… tomorrow night, by the way… you got yourself a broken seal." Sam nodded.

"How do you ice a reaper? You can't kill death." Dean said, tossing the icepack into the freezer.

"I don't know. Maybe demons can. Where the hell are the angels is what I want to know? We could use their help for once." Sam said.

"They're busy kidnapping Elena. Which still pisses me off. We could really use her in this situation. But it looks like we're gonna have to take care of this one ourselves." Dean said, his voice filled with annoyance.

"What are we gonna do, just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?" Sam asked.

"You got a better idea, I'm all ears." Dean shrugged.

"Dean, reapers are invisible. The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying." Sam reminded him.

"Well, if ghosts are the only ones that can see them..." Dean said, an idea occurring to him as he trailed off.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Then we become ghosts." Dean said, smirking as he sat on the bed once more.

"You do have a concussion." Sam chuckled.

"Sounds crazy, I know." Dean nodded.

"It is crazy." Sam confirmed as Dean smirked even more.

"How?" Sam finally sighed.

* * *

Sam quickly opened the door to see Pamela and Dean on the other side.

"I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you two are." Pamela said immediately, walking inside as she felt her way around.

"Well, Pamela, you're a sight for sore eyes." Sam sighed, sounding relieved as Dean fought back choking laughter at his choice of words.

Pamela turned around, lowering her sunglasses far enough to reveal her white plastic eyes.

"Aw, that's sweet, grumpy." She said wryly, smirking at him as she slid the sunglasses back on. "What do you say to deaf people?"

Dean chuckled as Sam looked uncomfortable.

"Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?" Pamela asked, arching an eyebrow as she sat down in a chair.

"Yo." Dean said as he raised his hand.

"Of course. Chachi." Pamela sighed, shaking her head.

Dean turned to Sam and mouthed 'Chachi?' with confusion as Sam shrugged.

"So, let's be clear. You want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?" Pamela asked.

"Well… yeah." Dean said.

"Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?" she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so..." Dean trailed off.

"So, its nuts." Pamela reiterated.

"Not if you know what you're doing." Dean said.

"You don't know what you're doing." she reminded him.

"No, but you do." Dean said.

"Yeah, I do. And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, Soc-Greaser crap." Pamela said, sounding annoyed.

"Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy, too." Dean said defensively.

"Nice. More blind jokes?" Pamela scoffed, leaning back.

"You know what I mean. We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing." Dean said, pausing slightly. "We need your help."

"Hmm… well… it's hard to say no to you boys. But first, where is that girl of yours, Elena? You run her off already?" she asked.

Dean sighed angrily and shook his head.

"She was kidnapped by an angel to be returned at his earliest convenience." He snapped, not wanting to tell her that it was the same angel who burned out her eyes.

"Like I said… angel crap." Pamela said, shaking her head.

* * *

"How are you faring with all of this new information?" Castiel asked as she sat on the rock and buried her head in her hands.

"Not great." She mumbled, rubbing her face roughly as she concentrated on breathing.

"It is a lot to take in. I will give you a few moments to wrap your head around it before we return." he said.

Elena looked over at him.

"I'm only eighteen, Cas. I'm supposed to be freaking out about SAT's and graduation and what college I'm going to. Not the apocalypse and being a guardian. How do I wrap my head around this? How do I ever get used to the fact that…" she trailed off, her voice failing her.

"… that there are so many beings who have been waiting for you for hundreds of years?" Castiel asked.

"You're not making it better." She informed him.

"You are very important, Elena. More important than I can even begin to explain. You are not only a healer and protector to the Winchester brothers. You are much different than any guardian who has ever lived. To give you perspective, I will tell you how guardians usually do their job. They are usually invisible. Either literally or metaphorically. Some of them simply fade into the background of their charge's life. For every important leader, their guardian is usually hidden in their guard, the secret service for your leader. But sometimes, we let the guardian make another choice. They choose to be entirely invisible. No one can see them or hear them. They remain at their charge's side at all times and they can do so because no one can bother them.

But with you, neither of these is an option. We allowed for you to pursue a personal approach to guardianship, something that has never been done before. We let you build a connection to the brothers as your powers developed. We slowed down the process. Usually you would have received all of your powers at once. You would have been a full guardian and ready for battle. But we let you get used to it at your own speed. The more you used your basic powers, the more they grew." Castiel explained.

"So… I'm different? I'm… close to Sam and Dean and that's strange?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I'll ask again, what happens now? Because I am… very overwhelmed." Elena said.

"Rightfully so. Now… you can choose." Cas said.

She sighed and shook her head.

"That's so unfair." She sighed.

"I apologize." He said, his eyes downcast.

"No, it's not unfair because of the pain I would experience in my mind because of the separation if I said no. It's the pain that I would experience emotionally, physically, and mentally… because I'll be damned if I'm not so freaking attached to those brothers. I couldn't leave them if I tried. I didn't realize that until now. I… am devoted." She said, her mind going back to the siren.

Cas stared at her.

"That is not all the guardian nature speaking. Part of that is simply your nature." He informed her.

"Great, at least I'm still partly myself." She sighed.

Something occurred to her and she looked up at Castiel.

"Why now? Why did you choose to reveal everything to me now?" she asked.

* * *

Sam closed the curtains as Dean finished lighting the candles that were set up around the motel room. He slowly brought one of the candles over to the bedside table, shielding the flame with one hand. Pamela was sitting in a chair between the beds.

"Tell me something, geniuses. Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?" Pamela asked, looking as though she would roll her eyes if she could.

Sam closed the curtains on the last window before turning to them.

"With style and class." Dean said snarkily.

"You're going to be two walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless, hotshot." Pamela shot back.

"I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us." Sam reminded her.

"Yeah, well, they had plenty of time to practice." Pamela said, looking at him as she followed his voice.

"Well, then, I guess we got to start cramming." Dean said.

"Wow, couple of heroes. All right." Pamela shrugged, patting one of the beds next to her. "Lie down. Close your eyes."

A few moments later, Sam and Dean were lying on each bed.

"Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis… okay, guys. That's it. Showtime." Pamela said, sitting back and crossing her arms.

Dean sat up and looked over at Pamela.

"Well, nothing like shooting blanks. What's plan B?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow when she didn't react.

Dean looked over at Sam who was lying on the other bed. Then he looked up to see a different Sam standing over the bed looking at his hands. Dean looked over his shoulder to see his own unconscious body lying there.

"Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore." He said.

"All right, so, I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow. Remember I have to bring you back." Pamela reminded them.

She stood and went over to Sam's unconscious body as Dean watched her.

"I'll whisper the incantation in your ear." She informed them.

She leaned over Sam to do exactly that, whispering something that made Sam smirk.

"You have got a great ass." She said quietly so Dean couldn't hear.

"What'd she say?" Dean asked, looking at Sam who shrugged.

* * *

Sam and Dean walked along the street, looking around as they felt slightly eerie. A car drove past them as a female jogger ran right through Sam without noticing. Dean laughed, watching her go.

"That was wild. This is like Twilight Zone." Dean said, looking at Sam before getting idea.

Dean reached out and stuck his arm through Sam's chest, looking proud of himself as he grinned up at him. Sam stared down at the arm before looking up at Dean with a stony face.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Dean asked, prodding at him.

"Get out of me." Sam snapped.

Dean pulls his arm back and rolled his eyes.

"You're such a prude. Come on." he said, turning to walk down the street as Sam followed.

* * *

"Angels are being killed and we have no idea who is doing it. We need…" Castiel trailed off at the cold look on her face when she thought of the other angels, especially Uriel. "I need your help."

"And that's why you told me about what I am?" Elena asked.

"I thought… if I gave you that, there could be a deal struck." Castiel shrugged, looking around the field.

Elena sighed and turned her entire body to look at him, reaching out and touching his shoulder.

"Cas, your brothers and sisters are dying. We're this close to the apocalypse and I know that it all has to be taking a toll on you. While I appreciate you finally being honest with me, there didn't have to be a deal. You didn't have to tell me the truth so that I would help you. All you had to do was ask." She said.

He looked surprised at her.

"You would just help if I asked?" he questioned, confused as his eyebrows knitted together.

"You might want to try it someday, it might actually work out for you." she said with a wry grin.

He sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Well now I'm embarrassed. I should have gone with that approach first." He said.

"Yes, you should have. Now… do you think you can return me to America?" she asked, still smiling.

Castiel looked up at her and nodded slowly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Elena caught his hand and he looked surprised as she held it in both of hers.

"I will help you figure out what is going on, Cas. I promise." She said.

He stared at her for a moment.

"Thank you." he said, nodding once.

They stood still, Elena still holding onto his hand. They disappeared and reappeared in a familiar place. But it wasn't at all where she expected for them to be.

"Why are we here?" she asked, as she looked up at the familiar clock tower that loomed over the town square of Mystic Falls.

"Angels can hear prayers even when they're unspoken. They can see deep desires even when they're hidden away. I know that you realize what lies ahead for you and the likelihood that you may not see any of your friends and family here for a long time. I'm offering you a chance to see them again." Cas said.

Elena looked back at him with a shocked expression. Suddenly, she couldn't help it anymore. She launched forward and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. Cas stood there frozen for a few moments.

"Thank you." she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

Cas finally relaxed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her back, hugging her awkwardly. She laughed as she pulled away.

"I have it on good authority that they are all in there." Cas said, pointing at Mystic Grill.

"Well… that makes things easy." She said, smiling at him as she wiped the tears away.

"I will wait here for you to be finished. Take as long as you require." He nodded, looking at the ground.

"I appreciate this more than you will ever know, Cas." She said, smiling at him before turning to walk away.

* * *

Dean and Sam crossed the street, both of them looking unamused and ready to give up.

"Oh, man, we've been spooking this town for hours. No demons, no black smoke. I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?" Dean suggested.

Sam rolled his eyes and noticed something in a house..

"Hey. Three o'clock. Kid in the window." Sam said, nodding towards it.

Dean looked up and stopped short.

"Am I crazy or is he looking at us?" Sam asked.

"It's cause we've seen him before." Dean said.

"We have?" Sam questioned.

"Newspaper. Cole Griffith, the last person to die in this town." Dean confirmed.

The little boy, Cole, flickered and vanished. Dean and Sam exchanged a look before turning to walk to the house.

* * *

Elena sighed as she entered the Grill. It seemed as though the whole room froze when she walked in. Everyone turned to face her and she could barely muster up the courage to meet the eyes of her friends and family. When Castiel said that everyone was in there, he meant everyone. Jeremy, Alaric, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Matt, Stefan, and Damon were all crowded around a large table. Jeremy was the first to stand, staring at her as if she was a ghost.

"Elena?" he asked as he approached her at the same time as she reached the table.

"Hey Jer." She said with a small smile.

He yanked her into a hug and she sighed, wrapping her arms around him as well.

"We thought you were dead. It's been so long since we heard from you." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry… it's just been so busy. Supernatural crap and all that." she said apologetically.

He drew away to look at her.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"You don't want to know." She said, laughing slightly as she looked around at everyone else.

Suddenly, she found that she was being passed from one person to the next. Damon was last, standing up hesitantly as if he didn't know what reaction to expect from her.

"I'm not staying for long, Damon. I don't want to spend what time I do have here fighting." She sighed, leaning in to hug him.

He hugged her back, obviously relieved at her response to him. She immediately found herself sat down between Jeremy and Caroline.

"Where have you been? What have you been doing?" Caroline asked.

"I've been everywhere and we've been doing hunting stuff. I'm with Castiel, the angel, right now. He's outside waiting for me. He knew… well… I guess I might as well tell you. A lot of serious shit is about to go down in the hunter world and it's going to be a while before I can see any of you. I'm sorry for that but it's true. So Cas brought me here to have a few minutes with you. It's… quite amazing of him really." Elena said, reaching over to take her brother's hand with a smile.

"So, what? Is this your final goodbye?" Damon asked.

"No, not by any means. It's just a visit for now." She nodded, smiling around at them. "So I don't want to talk about supernatural anything. Tell me about all of the gossip that's happened since I was here last." Elena said, nodding.

"Well… Dana is pregnant." Caroline shrugged.

"The Originals have officially established themselves a place in the town, becoming upstanding citizens." Damon said, grimacing.

"And… amazingly enough, absolutely nothing weird has happened since the Esther thing." Bonnie nodded.

"Also, there are about a thousand different theories as to where you've gone." Alaric threw in.

"Ooh, this sounds interesting. What are some of the theories?" Elena asked, leaning forward.

"Rehab." Jeremy said.

"Boarding school." Matt.

"Graduated early and went to college." Bonnie.

"L.A. to become an actress." Caroline.

"L.A. to become a prostitute." Damon said, smirking.

"Las Vegas to become a showgirl." Stefan.

"A nunnery to become a nun." Bonnie said, causing Elena to burst into laughter.

"I think that's the best one!" she said, giggling madly.

Everyone else laughed with her and, in her heart, she thanked Castiel once again for this reunion.

* * *

Mrs. Griffith, Cole's mother, walked into his old room, clutching her bathrobe for dear life.

"Cole?" she questioned hesitantly. "It's Mom. Your dad thinks I'm crazy. Are you here? A picture frame fell over. I could have sworn it was you, baby. Are you still here with me?"

A soccer ball that was sitting on the dresser started to spin, causing Mrs. Griffith to stare. The ball suddenly flew past her and bounced off the door. She put her hands to her head with wide eyes.

"Oh, my god!" she cried as she turned to leave the room.

Cole stood by the dressed throwing more balls at Sam and Dean as they walked into his room.

"Stop! How are you doing that?" Dean asked, ducking the balls.

"Who are you?" Cole demanded.

"Relax, Cole. It's okay." Sam said, his hands up in surrender.

"How do you know my name?" the boy demanded.

"Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're… dead. You're a spirit. Us too." Sam said.

Dean glanced back at Sam, surprised at his lack of tact.

"Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel. I know I'm dead. What do you want?" Cole snapped, shocking them both.

"We just want to talk." Dean said hesitantly.

"About what?" Cole asked.

Mrs. Griffith poured herself a glass of vodka as they entered the kitchen. Cole leaned on the wall watching her. Dean and Sam sat at the table watching him.

"I was outside all morning." Cole said softly, turning around to talk to them. "They tell you to be careful when it's cold."

"Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" Dean questioned.

Cole nodded, shrugging.

"But then I was in my room. It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning, and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body."

He leaned on the table.

"And that's when you saw the man?" Sam asked.

"Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him, but..." Cole looked back at his mother.

"I didn't want to go." he said sadly.

"Reaper." Sam said, looking at Dean, who nodded.

"How'd you get rid of him?" Sam asked.

"I didn't. The black smoke did." Cole said.

"Black smoke?" Dean said.

"It was everywhere. I hid in the closet, and when I came out, it was gone, and so was he." Cole said.

Dean leaned forward. "Do you know where the smoke went?" he asked.

"No. But I know where it is." Cole said.

The lights suddenly start flickering and Cole jumped. Dean looked up to see Mrs. Griffith looked around.

"They're back." Cole said, panicking.

"Who?" Dean asked.

Cole vanished before he said another word. Dean and Sam looked around, their eyes wide as a blast of wind hit them in the face. Something white and human-shaped flew through the room and up the stairs.

"Another reaper." Sam said, looking at Dean.

They both jumped up to go to the stairs.

"Hey! Hey! Wait! We need to talk to you!" Dean called

The brothers stared as a woman descends the stairs.

"Dean." She murmured.

Sam glanced at Dean, who looked confused.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"We go way back." she said, nodding.

The woman walked into the kitchen with Dean and Sam following before she turned around.

"You don't remember me?" she asked.

"Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that... you're gonna have to freshen my memory." Dean said.

She stepped forward, reaching up to place her hand on his cheek. Dean stood still as flashbacks flew through his head. Things that he'd never remembered before flashed before his eyes. When she pulled away, he watched her for a moment.

"Tessa." He said.

"That's one of my names, yeah." She shrugged.

"So, you do know her." Sam confirmed.

"From the hospital after the accident." Dean said.

"The accident with Dad?" he asked.

Dean nodded.

"So, this is the reaper that came after you."

"Yeah." Dean said, looking at the ground.

Tessa turned to look at Sam.

"Well, this was fun." She said before turning back to Dean. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, you can't… you can't take the kid." He said pleadingly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Demons are in town, that's why. They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where." Dean said.

"So?" Tessa asked, sounding uncaring.

"So, you should shag ass. For all we know, they could try and snatch you, too." Dean suggested.

"Except that this town is off the rails." Tessa pointed out.

Mrs. Griffith came walking out of the dining room, picking something off a side table before turning to leave.

"And someone has to set it straight." She said, gesturing around.

"Yeah, we understand that, but these are special circumstances." Dean said.

"What? Your whole angel-demon dance-off? I could care less. I just want to do my job." Tessa shrugged.

"Right, yeah, and, look, we want to help you do your job. So, if you would just bail town…" Sam said.

"No." she said, shaking her head.

"Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this? Please." Dean asked.

Tessa sighed.

"All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

"Understood. I'll find him." Sam said, turning to walk upstairs.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. What…?" Dean stopped him.

Sam turned back around, staring at his brother.

"What are you gonna say to him?" Dean asked.

"Whatever I have to." Sam shrugged.

Dean and Tessa watched as he walked up the stairs.

Sam walked into the room, looking around. He sat down next to the open closet. Cole was barely visible inside.

"This all must be pretty overwhelming, huh? Pretty scary, too." Sam said, staring down at the carpet.

"The worst is my mom." Cole sighed miserably.

"Must be hard seeing her like this." Sam nodded.

Cole leaned out of the shadow and looked at Sam.

"She's always coming in here, talking to me, telling me how sad she is. I knock some stuff over to let her know I'm here, but... she only gets sadder." He said softly.

Sam laughed a little. "Well, you might want to ease up on the flying soccer balls." He joked.

"I'm not telling you where the smoke is." Cole said quickly, leaning back into the shadows once more.

Sam thought for a moment.

"Hey. What if I told you that if you helped me, you wouldn't have to leave here? Ever?" he asked.

"What about the one downstairs?" Cole said hesitantly, not entirely believing him.

"Tessa? Oh, she wouldn't bother you. No reaper would. You could just stay here with your family for as long as you wanted." Sam shrugged.

"You can do that?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, you bet I can do that." Sam assured him.

"You swear?" he said.

Sam hesitated before nodding.

"I swear." He said.

"I'll tell you, life is funny." Tessa said, sighing lightly.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"You and me, together again." She said, her eyes sparkling as she looked over at him.

"Are you… are you making a move on me?" Dean asked, leaning away from her.

Tessa shook her head.

"Everyone knows you're with that guardian of yours, Dean. You're just the one that got away, Dean. You'd be surprised how little that happens to me." she said.

"Can I tell you something between you and me?" he asked after a moment

"Who am I gonna tell?" Tessa asked, laughing lightly.

Dean nodded.

"After our little, uh, experience...for that whole year, I felt like I had this... hole in my gut... like I was missing something. I didn't know what. Do you know what it was?" Dean asked.

She simply listened to him.

"It was you. The pain of losing my father and Sammy. I just...I wish I had gone with you for good. But I guess things are different now. As soon as I met Elena after I was brought up from hell… it all changed." Dean

"There's also the angels on your shoulder." Tessa reminded him.

"So, you know about that, huh? Well, hey, don't get me wrong. I mean, most the ones I've met are dicks with wings. But still... you know, I've done things. Horrible things. And someone upstairs still decided to give me a second chance. It just makes me feel... I don't know." Dean shrugged.

"Uh-huh." Tessa said skeptically.

Sam clears his throat and they both looked to see that he had just come downstairs, Cole standing behind him.

"Hey, guys." Sam he said.

"Hey, Cole. I'm Tessa. I'm not going to hurt you." Tessa said, standing up to crouch down.

"It's okay, Cole. Just tell them what you told me." Sam urged him.

"I saw the black smoke at my funeral." Cole said.

Sam glanced at Dean.

"At the cemetery?" he asked.

"At the funeral home. It was everywhere." Cole said.

The lights began to flicker and Dean looked at Tessa.

"You doing that?" Dean asked.

"No." Tessa said, looking around with confusion.

The front door slammed open and black smoke poured through, filling the house. Everyone ducked as it rushed over them. When it suddenly disappeared, everyone looked around. Tessa was gone.

"Tessa!" Dean shouted, looking around.

"Cole, you okay?" Sam asked the boy, satisfied when he nodded.

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to fight that?" Dean snapped.

"I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?" Sam shrugged.

"By tonight? Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's." Dean scoffed.

"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Cole asked.

Sam looks between Dean and Cole with a thoughtful look.

* * *

The three of them were standing on the porch and Dean was concentrating on a miniature windmill.

"It's not gonna move if you don't concentrate." Cole piped up.

"I am concentrating." Dean growled.

Sam raised his eyebrows as Dean let out a breath and glared at the windmill. It gave a small, slight turn and Dean smiled triumphantly.

"Ah, here we go, baby." He said, rubbing his hands together.

The windmill stopped suddenly and Cole looks at Dean.

"You pull a muscle?" he asked, causing Sam to burst into laughter as Dean eyed the kid.

"All right, Yoda, let's see what you got." He said, gesturing to it.

Cole looked at the windmill with a bored expression. It began spinning and didn't stop. The porch swing started swinging as the wind chimes moved to let out their music. Sam's laughter escalated.

"Dude! You are so Amityville!" Dean exclaimed, awestruck.

Cole grinned.

"This isn't even the good stuff." He said.

Dean watched as Cole punched Sam in the stomach, causing him to fold over as he clutched at his abdomen.

"See? If you want to hit something, you just got to get mad." Cole nodded.

"Yeah, got it." Sam wheezed as he straightened up.

Cole looked at Dean.

"Now you try. Hit me." he instructed.

"Uh, I think I'll stick to just picking on somebody my own size." Dean said, indicating to Sam.

Cole launched out and whacked Dean in the face, causing Sam to laugh. Dean rubbed his face as Cole crossed to Sam.

"Hit me as hard as you can." He requested.

"Dude, I'm not gonna do Fight Club with a twelve-year-old." Sam said, shaking his head.

Cole punched Sam and he stumbled backwards, shaking it off.

"All right, cut it out." he said.

"Make me." Cole laughed, taking another swing.

Sam blocked it and swung back but Cole disappeared, reappearing behind Dean, who whirled around.

"Whoa. Whoa, you got to teach us that." Dean said, impressed.

* * *

Elena sighed softly as they walked out of the Grill. She'd spent a whole hour with them, laughing and joking as they ignored the fact that she was going to say goodbye again soon. They were all solemn as she turned to face them.

"I'm sorry I have to go… but the world needs saving and I happen to be the protector of the two boys who have to do it." she said.

They all understood, as she gave them the condensed version of everything that Cas told her earlier. One by one, they all hugged her goodbye.

"I love you all. Please stay safe. I'll try to keep in contact this time." she said tearfully.

They all nodded and she smiled before turning to walk across the street towards the park. Castiel was sitting on a bench looking around with a stone-face. He looked up at her as she approached.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

He nodded and stood, holding out his hand instead of simply touching her shoulder or her forehead. Elena looked back at her Mystic Falls family one more time as she placed her hand in his. They disappeared from her sight and she looked around as they reappeared in a motel room.

"Where is this?" she asked.

"This is the place that you must stay until the Winchesters finish with their current job. Can I trust you to stay here if I have to go?" Cas asked.

Elena nodded slowly and suddenly found herself alone in the room.

* * *

As they walked up to the building, Sam and Dean noticed that the walls of the funeral home were covered in glowing blue diagrams, mostly six-sided figures, some in circles and some in squares, all with lines through them and squiggles inside the triangles. They crossed the street to the building, noticing that no one else seemed to see the diagrams.

"This looks like New Jack City. Can nobody can see this?" Dean asked, gesturing to the building.

"Maybe it's demon invisible ink. Only see it in the veil." Sam shrugged.

"Any idea what it's for?"

"We'll find out." Sam said.

The door to the funeral home was standing open and Sam walked in, Dean following him. They saw nothing as they walked through, shrugging at each other. When they turned around at one point to see a large room, they saw a diagram drawn on the floor of the open space in the room. Tessa and an old man were lying in the middle of the circle. Sam and Dean walked forward for a closer look. A man was standing guard on the other end, not having seen them.

"Dude, check me out." Dean whispered, taking a few steps forward before he vanished.

He reappeared behind the man and tapped him on the shoulder. When the man turned around, Dean punched him in the face and then disappeared when the man attempted to swing back. A hand tapped his shoulder again and this time it was Sam who punched him. Dean reappeared on the man's other side and punched him once more as Sam kneed him in the chest. The man scrambled away as Dean and Sam kicked at him. When he was hiding behind a coffin, Dean and Sam followed him.

"You know, this ghost thing, it's, it's kind of rad." Dean said with a grin.

Another man came out from behind a curtain, carrying a chain and making pained noises. The first man scrambled over the coffin and out of the way. The second man pulled the chain tight and hooks it to a candle stand.

"It's iron." Sam said.

The demon let go of the chain, his hands smoking, and Dean and Sam looked around as the chain surrounded them.

A third demon comes into the room, his eyes turning white as he walked..

"Boys. Find the place okay?" Alastair asked.

* * *

Elena paced the motel room impatiently, wondering what the hell could be going on that pulled Cas away. It worried her that the angel was so worried when he left. She sighed and sat on the bed, allowing her mind to go back to his explanation so she'd stop worrying. She, Elena Gilbert, was a guardian. She was created to protect someone else, not to be protected. She was no longer a damsel in distress. She was strong and she could protect herself too.

* * *

Alastair held a scythe, turning it over in his hands as he grinned at the boys. He'd had his fun shooting them with rock salt a few times but it quickly bored him.

"Anyhoo..." he said as they watched him closely. "Moon's in the right spot. The board is set. Let's get started, shall we?"

"You're gonna kill a reaper with that? It's little on the nose, don't you think?" Dean scoffed.

"Is it? An old friend lent it to me. You know, he doesn't really ride a pale horse? But he does have three amigos." Alastair informed them. "And they're just jonesing for the apocalypse."

He kneeled next to the old man reaper.

"It pays to have friends in low places." He explained, grabbing the reaper by the collar and hauling him up. "Don't you think?"

Alastair put the scythe behind the reaper's neck and began chanting in Latin.

"Hic cruor messorius, illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit, aperiat ut resurgat!"

He pulled the scythe and a white-blue light filled the room. He slowly lowered the dead reaper to the floor before straightening up. Sam looked up, noticing a chandelier hanging above the reaper trap. Alastair stepped over the dead reaper and grabbed a conscious Tessa by the shoulder, holding the scythe to her neck. Sam glanced between Dean and the chandelier.

"Stop!" Tessa cried, struggling against Alastair.

Both Dean and Sam stared at the chandelier and concentrated on bringing it down.

"Hic cruor messorius…" Alastair began reciting in Latin once again.

* * *

Pamela stood, walking to the middle of the room as she looked around without seeing.

"I know you're here. What's the matter, you reeking son of a bitch? You afraid of a skirt?" she taunted.

Suddenly she sensed the demon very close to her. She turned and ran to Sam, leaning over his body to his ear.

"Vis, vis, vis!" she began chanting before the demon grabbed her and dragged her up. She kicked at him, attempting to fight her way out of his grip.

"Son of a bitch!" she shouted.

* * *

Elena's head flew up when she heard the shout. It sounded too familiar. She quickly slammed her way out of the motel room and ran towards the room that she heard the sound of fighting coming from. When she got to the door, she tried it to realize that it was locked. She sighed and backed up, willing to try something. Her leg slammed forward, kicking the door open with ease. She smiled slightly before running inside. Dean and Sam were lying on the beds unconscious. But her first concern was Pamela, who was fighting with a demon.

* * *

"… illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit…" Alastair recited.

The chandelier began shaking with the force that Sam and Dean were mentally applying to it. Tessa watched them with pleading eyes, praying for it to work..

"… aperiat ut…" Alastair said.

The chandelier began to fall.

"… resurgat!" Alastair shouted the last word just as the chandelier crashed to the floor and broke the reaper trap. Tessa vanished and reappeared at the candle stand, unhooking the chain.

"Bye-bye." Dean said before they all vanished.

Tessa and Dean reappeared on a street.

"Where's your brother?" Tessa asked, looking around.

"I'll go find him. You get out of here." Dean instructed her, turning to run off.

* * *

Elena ran forward to pull the demon off of Pamela, throwing it into the wall. Pamela ran over to Sam, finding her way easily, and leaned down in his ear to whisper to him.

"Animum vult decipi, ergo…" she murmured

The demon threw Elena across the room, knocking over candles and the coffeemaker. Pamela turned just as the demon walked up to her and pulled out a knife, stabbing her in the stomach.

"No!" Elena exclaimed just as Sam sat up.

She watched with horror as he raised his hand automatically and flung the demon against the wall. He stood and easily exorcised the demon, glaring at it. The host slumped to the floor, dead. Elena ran to Pamela, crouching down to her level. The psychic was laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, leaning down next to Elena.

"I can't die… not in this town." She laughed, confusing Elena.

Pamela took her hand away from the injury where there was no blood.

"Pamela…" Sam began.

"Quit your worrying, grumpy. How about you make me a drink, huh?" she requested, pushing herself up to a standing position.

"You need a doctor." Sam argued.

"Make me a drink, Sam." Pamela instructed, causing Sam to swallow hard and walk over to the fridge.

Elena helped Pamela to the bed and, hoping beyond hope, pressed her hands to the woman's stomach.

"You know as well as I do, Elena, that it's not going to work." Pamela murmured, making Elena sigh heavily.

* * *

Dean walked down one of the many alleys, looking around.

"You can't run." Alastair's voice echoed and Dean turned to see him standing in the alley behind him. "Dean."

As he advanced, Dean backed up, not wanting to get too close to him.

"Not from me. I'm inside that angsty little noggin of yours." Alastair said, pointing at his head.

Suddenly blue-white lightning struck Alastair and he vanished.

"What the hell?" Dean demanded, wide-eyed.

"Guess again." A familiar voice said.

Dean whirled around to see Castiel standing there.

"You and Sam just saved a seal. We captured Alastair. Dean, this was a victory." Castiel assured him as Dean paced the alley.

"Well, no thanks to you." Dean snapped.

"What makes you say that?" Castiel asked.

"You took Elena when we really needed her help. You weren't there for the rock salt shit." He growled.

"That script on the funeral home… I couldn't penetrate it." Castiel said.

"That was angel-proofing." Dean asked.

"Why do you think I recruited you and Sam in the first place?" Castiel asked.

"You recruited us?" Dean questioned.

"That wasn't your friend Bobby who called, Dean. It wasn't Bobby who told Sam about the seal." Castiel said.

"That was you?" Dean asked.

Castiel looked down.

"If you want our help, why the hell didn't you just ask?" Dean asked.

Castiel chuckled lightly and Dean was taken aback by his laughing.

"Elena said the same words to me, only she was much nicer about it. I didn't ask because whatever I ask, you seem to do the exact opposite."

"So, what now, huh? The people in this town, they just gonna start dying again?" Dean asked, gesturing around them.

"Yes." The angel nodded.

"These are good people. What, you think you can make a few exceptions?" he said.

"To everything there is a season."

"You made an exception for me. And Elena" Dean said.

Castiel paused, then looks at Dean.

"You're different. You're both different." He said before disappearing.

"Dean? I could use your help." Tessa said, appearing next to him.

* * *

Mrs. Griffith was looking at a memory book as she cried. Cole was standing there watching as Dean and Tessa appeared in the room.

"Hey, Cole." Tessa said.

Cole jumped and turns around.

"Tell your brother thanks for nothing." He said, narrowing his eyes at Dean.

Dean looked down, still feeling uncomfortable with the fake promise that Sam made to the kid.

"Look at her, Cole." Tessa said, pointing at his mom.

Cole glanced back.

"Do you see how unhappy she is?" Tessa asked.

"That's why I want to stay with her." Cole said pleadingly.

"As long as she can feel you, she'll be in pain, because she can't let go." Tessa said.

He glanced back again, this time his gaze lasting longer.

"Because you won't let go of her." she said.

"Why won't anybody tell me what's on the other side?" Cole asked, turning to her.

"Maybe nobody wants to ruin the surprise." Tessa shrugged, causing Dean to look away.

"That's not an answer." Cole accused her.

"She won't answer you, Cole. Reapers never do. But trust me. Staying here is a whole lot worse than anything over there." Dean said.

"Why?" Cole asked.

"Because one day, your family will be gone, and there'll be nothing left here for you. It's okay to be scared." Tessa answered.

"I'm not scared." Cole scoffed, shaking his head.

"We're all scared. That's the big secret. We're all scared." Dean said softly.

Silence filled the room.

"Are you coming?" Cole asked after a few moments.

It was Tessa's turn to look down.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be there sooner than you think." Dean sighed.

Cole glanced back at his mother one last time before he walked towards Tessa. She bent down and hugged him, closing her eyes as he was enveloped in a white light and disappeared. Mrs. Griffith looked up, already looking less sad. Tessa turned to face Dean.

"Look out for that boy." He instructed.

"Look out for yourself, Dean." Tessa shot back.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, confused.

"I've been around death from the get-go. You know what I see most? Lies. He's in a better place. At least they're together now. You all lie to yourselves, Dean, cause like you said, deep down, you're all scared. Stop lying to yourself, Dean." Tessa said.

"What?" he questioned.

"The angels have something good in store for you. A second chance. Really? Cause I'm pretty sure, deep down, you know something nasty's coming down the road. Trust your instincts, Dean. There's no such thing as miracles." Tessa said.

"What are you saying?" Dean asked, even more confused.

She said nothing and a moment later, she was gone.

* * *

Sam and Elena watched as Pamela sat on the edge of Dean's bed, one hand to the stab wound and leaning on the other.

"Imum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis." She said softly.

She stood slowly to move to the other bed. Sam jumped up to help her.

"Hey, we just got to talk to Tessa, that's all. Get her to hold off reaping till we get you better." Sam said.

"I'm pretty sure she's started up again." Pamela gasped as blood began pouring over hand.

Elena bit her lip and walked to the bed. They all started as Dean took a deep breath and sat up. Elena looked back at him and gave him a sad look as she gestured him over. He stood and walked to the bed, his eyes widening when he took in Pamela's condition.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Dean, where's Tessa?" Sam asked, looking up at him.

Elena didn't bother to ask who Tessa was even though she was very confused.

"She's..." Dean trailed off, the news obviously not good.

Pamela slid off her sunglasses.

"Pamela, I'm so sorry." Sam began.

"Stop." She said.

"You don't deserve this." he said miserably.

"Yeah, I don't. I told you I didn't want anything to do with this. Do me a favor? Tell that bastard Bobby Singer… to go to hell for ever introducing me to you two in the first place." Pamela grunted, leaning her head back as she began coughing.

"Take it easy, Pamela. If it's any consolation, you're going to a better place." Dean said, kneeling next to Elena.

She turned her head towards Dean.

"You're lying." she accused him.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"But what the hell, right? Everybody's got to go sometime." Pamela shrugged.

Then she turned and beckoned Sam closer.

"Come here." She instructed him.

Sam leaned in close and she whispered softly in his ear so that the other two couldn't hear.

"I know what you did to that demon, Sam." She murmured.

Sam's eyes widened.

"I can feel what's inside of you. If you think you have good intentions, think again." She warned before she began coughing again.

She leaned back against the headboard, blood trickling out of her mouth as she became still.

"Pamela?" Elena said, reaching out to take her hand.

Her head slid down.

"Pamela!" Dean said loudly before looking at Sam. "What did she say to you?"

Sam simply looked away, looking ashamed and scared at the same time.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Next: The angels call upon Dean to help them get information out of Alastair as Elena and Sam have to go to Ruby in order to find Dean to prevent him from doing something horrible.**


	22. Living in a Shell

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to xxPaige23xx, Dark Alana, Nyssandria, JMHUW, RHatch89, beverlie4055, blahblahblah93, TheElegantFaerie, Dean Winchester Rocks, and the guest for reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: World So Cold – Three Days Grace**

**A few things:**

**1. Elena and Sam have their first fight in this chapter.**

**2. It is a very sad chapter.**

**3. Sam's source of power is revealed.**

**4. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**5. Enjoy and please review!**

**6. IMPORTANT: As we have now reached 200 reviews, I will let you do two things. (1) you can still suggest things to me that you want to see. (2) you can ask any questions about the series and I will answer them.**

* * *

Elena sat in the backseat, staring out of the window. Dean was in the passenger's seat doing the same, rubbing his forehead with frustration clear on his face. Sam drove, glancing over at his brother and then back at Elena.

"Ruby will meet us outside Cheyenne. She's been tracking some leads." He finally said in a quiet voice. "I know she's not exactly on your Christmas list, but if she can help us get to Lilith…"

"Hey, man, work with Ruby, don't. I don't really give a rat's ass." Dean said in a tired voice.

Elena looked at him, sighing quietly before glancing down at her hands.

"What's your problem?" Sam demanded.

"Pamela didn't want anything to do with this and we dragged her back into it, Sam." Dean sighed.

"She knew what was at stake." He argued.

Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah. Saving the world. And we're doing such a damn good job of it." he snapped.

"Dean…"

"I'm tired of burying friends, Sam." he cut his brother off, looking over at him.

Sam nodded in understanding.

"Look, we catch a fresh trail…"

"And we follow it, I know. Like I said, I'm just… I'm just getting tired." Dean said, glancing out of the window once more.

"Well, get angry." Sam shot back, tightening his hands on the steering wheel.

* * *

Elena and Dean walked into the motel room first, dropping their bags on the floor beside the door.

"Ah, home crappy home." Dean sighed.

Elena squeezed his hand lightly as Sam turned on the lights. They all jumped when they saw two beings in the room already.

"Winchester, Winchester, and Gilbert." Uriel said, turning to them.

They looked between them and Dean sighed heavily.

"Oh come on."

"You are needed." the angel said.

"Needed? We just got back from needed." Dean snapped.

"Now, you mind your tone with me." Uriel said, pointing at him.

Elena stepped slightly in front of him, narrowing her eyes as him.

"No, you mind your damn tone with us." She snapped angrily.

None of them were willing to put up with the angels' shit at the moment.

"We just got back from Pamela's funeral." Sam informed them, glaring between Uriel and Castiel.

"Pamela. You know, psychic Pamela? You remember her." Dean growled. "Cas, you remember her. You burned her eyes out. Remember that? Good times."

Castiel looked slightly ashamed, glancing at the ground. Uriel, however, looked unbothered.

"Yeah, then she died saving one of your precious seals. So maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for five freaking minutes!" Dean yelled.

"We raised you out of hell for our purposes." Uriel reminded him.

"Yeah, what were those again? What exactly did you want from me?" he demanded.

"Start with gratitude."

Dean scoffed as Elena looked at them with incredulity.

"We know this is difficult to understand." Castiel said, looking up at them.

"And we…" Uriel said, glaring back at him. "… don't care. Now, seven angels have been murdered, all of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

Elena squinted at the angels, noticing something strange between them.

"Demons? How they doing it?" Dean said.

"We don't know."

"I'm sorry, but what do you want us to do about it? I mean, a demon with the juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?" Sam said, impatient with them.

"We can handle the demons, thank you very much." Uriel said, staring at Sam with disgust in his gaze.

"Once we find whoever it is." Castiel said.

Dean stepped forward next to Elena, raising his eyebrows.

"So you need our help hunting a demon?"

"Not quite. We have Alastair." Castiel said.

"Great. He should be able to name your trigger man." Dean said.

"But he won't talk. Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse." He continued.

Dean nodded, not looking surprised by that.

"Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean, you guys are out of your league." He said, not sounding sympathetic towards them.

"That's why we've come to his student. You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

Elena immediately understood why they were there and she shook her head as Dean lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Dean, you are our best hope." Castiel said.

"No. No way." Elena refused, pulling him behind her as if to shield him from the angels.

"You can't ask me to do this, Cas. Not this." Dean said quietly, the fight draining out of him.

Uriel walked closer to them and Elena itched to punch the smug look off of his face.

"Who said anything about asking?"

There was a whoosh of air as they heard wings fluttering. Elena whirled around and was met with Sam's shocked gaze. They were alone in the room. Dean was gone.

"Dammit!" Sam shouted, ripping the door open.

Elena glared around at the empty room, rage filling her.

* * *

Dean peered through the window of the door, a chill running down his spine even though Alastair was bound and trapped.

"This devil's trap is old Enochian. He's bound completely." Castiel informed him, standing a few feet away.

"Fascinating." Dean said in a bored tone.

He turned away and walked off.

"Where's the door?" he demanded.

"Where are you going?" Castiel asked.

"Hitch back to Cheyenne, thank you very much." He snapped.

Uriel was suddenly blocking his path and he sighed, glaring at the angel.

"Angels are dying, boy."

"Everybody's dying these days. And hey, I get it." Dean said, staring back fearlessly. "You're all-powerful. You can make me do whatever you want. But you can't make me do this."

"This is too much to ask, I know. But we have to ask it." Castiel said.

Dean turned to glance at him for a moment before turning back to Uriel.

"I want to talk to Cas alone." He said.

Uriel's eyes flickered between them.

"I think I'll go seek revelation. We might have some further orders."

"Well, get some donuts while you're out." Dean said, glaring at him.

Uriel let out a laugh that left Dean with an unsettled feeling.

"Ah, this one just won't quit, will he?" the angel said, shaking his head. "I think I'm starting to like you, boy."

Dean watched as he vanished before turning around.

"You guys don't walk enough. You're gonna get flabby." He warned.

Castiel stared at him without reacting.

"You know, I'm starting to think junkless has a better sense of humor than you do." He said, nodding over his shoulder.

"Uriel's the funniest angel in the garrison. Ask anyone." The angel said, entirely serious.

Dean rolled his eyes before walking up to him.

"What's going on, Cas? Since when does Uriel put a leash on you?" he demanded.

"My superiors have begun to question my sympathies." Castiel replied after a moment of silence.

"Your sympathies?"

"I was getting too close to the humans in my charge. You. They feel I've begun to express emotions. The doorways to doubt. This can impair my judgment." The angel said, sighing.

"Well, tell Uriel, or whoever..." Dean said, walking past him towards the door that led to the demon. "… you do not want me doing this, trust me."

"Want it, no. But I have been told we need it." Castiel said, watching him.

"You ask me to open that door and walk through it, you will not like what walks back out." Dean warned him, still looking away.

"For what it's worth, I would give anything not to have you do this." the angel said.

Dean closed his eyes, taking a shuddering breath.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as Elena yanked her jacket on.

"I'm going to go find them." she snapped, zipping it up.

He stopped her before she walked to the door.

"You don't even know how to do it and you don't know what you're going to do when you get there." he said.

Elena stared up at him, fury running through her veins.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do." She nodded. "I'm going to kill Uriel."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she realized how horrible of an idea that was to pursue.

"I know someone who can get us Dean's location. Then we can go and I can take care of Alastair."

Elena stared at him carefully, taking a deep breath.

"Call her." she said, stepping backwards.

She picked up Dean's handgun off of the table as Sam dialed Ruby's number.

* * *

Dean walked into the room slowly, not reacting when Castiel closed it behind him. He pushed the cart to sit just outside of the devil's trap and pulled the cloth off.

"Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek..." Alastair sang, swaying back and forth in his chains.

Dean looked at the various torture implements on the cart as the demon laughed at him.

"I'm sorry. This is a very serious, very emotional situation for you. I shouldn't laugh, it's just that…" Alastair let out another laugh. "I mean, are they serious? They sent you to torture me?"

Dean took a swig of whiskey before turning to face him.

"You got one chance. One." He warned. "Tell me who's killing the angels. I want a name."

"You think I'll see all your scary toys and spill my guts?" Alastair said, smirking.

Dean stepped forward, glaring at him.

"Oh, you'll spill your guts, one way or another. I just didn't want to ruin my shoes." He said.

The demon looked thrilled.

"Oh, yeah." He nodded.

"Now answer the question." Dean snapped.

"Or what? You'll work me over?" Alastair questioned. "But then, maybe you don't want to. Maybe you're, ah, scared to."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him, taking a deep breath.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Not entirely." Alastair said, shrugging as best he could. "You left part of yourself back in the Pit. Let's see if we can get the two of you back together again, shall we?"

"You're gonna be disappointed." Dean promised him, walking over to the cart.

"You have not disappointed me so far. Come on." the demon urged him. "You gotta want a little payback for everything I did to you. For all the pokes and prods. Hm?"

Dean remained impassive, refusing to let his words get to him.

"No? Um... how about for all the things I did to your daddy?"

His head lifted and he turned to glare at the demon, unsure of how to react to the new news.

* * *

Sam opened the door to Ruby. Elena sat on the bed as she walked in and shuddered.

"I can still smell them." the demon sighed. "Seriously, Sam, I'm not exactly dying to tangle with angels again."

Her eyes flickered over to Elena and they stared at each other for a moment, both wondering whether or not she would attack the demon.

"I need you to find out where they took Dean." Sam said, pulling them away from their staring contest.

"Not sure I see the problem. You know they have Alastair strung up six ways from Sunday." Ruby informed him, sitting on the other bed. "Dean cuts himself a slice, Al's reduced to a quivering heap, and the good guys get the goods. What's wrong with that?"

"He can't do it." Sam said.

Elena's eyes flashed to him and she frowned.

"Look, I get it. You don't want him going all torture master again." Ruby sighed.

"No. I mean, he can't do it. He can't get the job done."

Sam's eyes flickered to Elena and he sighed before speaking again.

"Something happened to him downstairs, Ruby. He's not what he used to be. He's not strong enough."

Elena jumped up, glaring at him.

"He's not strong enough because he doesn't want to torture? What the hell, Sam?" she demanded.

"Yes, that's exactly why. Before, Dean would have done whatever it took to destroy the demons." He argued.

"You have no idea what he went through down there, Sam!"

"And you do?" he shot back.

"Yes!" Elena yelled. "If you'd experienced what he did, you'd be traumatized too! In fact, I bet you'd even crumple under it all. I don't know what the fuck is happening to you but this is not the Sam that I know. You think you're so much stronger than your brother but all I see is weakness."

Sam glared at her, his jaw tightening and his hands forming fists. Elena saw it, her eyes flickering downwards.

"Try it." she challenged him. "I'm not a demon that you can use your special powers on and I'm stronger than you."

Ruby stepped between them, shocked that she was having to play peacemaker.

"You think you're strong enough?" she asked Sam.

"I will be." Sam growled, glaring at Elena before turning his back on her.

* * *

"I had your pop on my rack for close to a century." Alastair informed him.

"You can't stall forever." Dean said, refusing to listen to him.

"John Winchester. Made a good name for himself. A hundred years. After each session, I'd make him the same offer I made you. I'd put down my blade if he picked one up." The demon continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"Just give me the demon's name, Alastair."

"But he said nein each and every time. Oh, damned if I couldn't break him." Alastair sighed, sounding frustrated.

Dean slid off his jacket, laying it on the edge of the cart.

"Pulled out all the stops, but John, he was, well, made of something unique. The stuff of heroes. And then came Dean. Dean Winchester. I thought I was up against it again."

He picked up the whiskey bottle and drank from it again.

"But daddy's little girl, he broke. He broke in thirty." Alastair chuckled. "Oh, just not the man your daddy wanted you to be, huh, Dean?"

Dean put down the bottle and reached out for a bottle of holy water.

"Now we're getting somewhere. Holy water?" he said, scoffing. "Come on. Grasshopper, you're gonna have to get creative to impress me."

Dean turned to him, looking up at him.

"You know something, Alastair? I could still dream. Even in hell." He said, stepping towards him. "And over and over and over, you know what I dreamt? I dreamt of this moment."

Alastair looked slightly nervous as he picked up a needle.

"And believe me, I got a few ideas."

He filled the needle with the water before walking over to him.

"Let's get started."

Screaming echoed around the room as he injected the holy water straight into the demon's veins. Minutes later, Dean placed the needle back on the cart as Alastair breathed heavily behind him.

"Let me know if you want some more. There's plenty left."

"Go directly to hell. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars." Alastair shot back.

Dean smiled.

* * *

Elena and Sam stood on either side of Ruby as she did a spell. She chanted something before lighting fire to a map. Sam stepped away and she sighed.

"Relax. The fire is our friend." The demon said. "Besides, the only part of the map we need is the 'where's Dean?' part. Out."

The flames all vanished and they bent over it. The map was almost unreadable except for a small circle in the middle.

"There. Your brother's there." Ruby said, pointing. "It's a good thing angels aren't concerned with hiding their dirty business. Not used to being spied on. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to try?"

She turned to glare at them.

"I'll go get our weapons ready." Elena said, grabbing Dean's gun and walking out to the Impala.

"Ruby, it's been weeks. I need it." Sam sighed once she was gone.

"You don't seem too happy about it." the demon said.

"You think I wanna do this? This is the last thing I…" he glanced back at the door where Elena disappeared through before sitting on the bed. "She's right, it makes me different. I would never usually say those things about my brother. But I need to be strong enough."

Ruby climbed on his lap.

"It's okay, Sammy." She murmured. "You can have it."

She kissed him deeply as she pulled a knife out from an ankle sheath. Once she cut her arm, Sam latched his mouth on the wound and began to drink straight from the vein as she stroked his hair.

"It's okay, Sam." Ruby whispered, smirking.

* * *

Dean held up Ruby's knife and Alastair laughed.

"There's that little pig-poker. I wondered where it went."

Dean dipped a ladle into the bowl of holy water and poured it over the blade.

"Do you really think this is gonna fix you? Give you closure?" the demon taunted. "That is sad. That's really sad."

Dean approached him, sliding the blade into his stomach. Sizzling sounded as Alastair leaned in as close as the chains allowed.

"I carved you into a new animal, Dean. There is no going back." he hissed.

"Maybe you're right. But now it's my turn to carve." Dean growled.

The demon let out a scream as the hunter slowly turned the blade without withdrawing it. In the corner of the devil's trap, a faucet turned on by an unseen hand and water began dripping onto the chalk.

* * *

Castiel lifted his head as a bulb exploded above him.

"Anna." He said, turning around.

"Hello, Castiel." She said, nodding at him.

"Your human body…" Castiel said with confusion.

"It was destroyed, I know." Anna nodded, walking forward. "But I guess I'm sentimental. Called in some old favors and..."

Muffled screams sounded, cutting her off.

"You shouldn't be here. We still have orders to kill you." Castiel warned her.

"Somehow I don't think you'll try. Where's Uriel?" Anna questioned, glancing at the door that led to Dean and Alastair with a worried expression.

"He went to receive revelation."

"Right." she nodded, glancing back at him.

* * *

Dean pulled the knife out of Alastair slowly. The demon's head fell forward and he seized his hair, tilting it back. Blood was dripping from his mouth and he looked deranged. Alastair laughed, choking on his own blood.

"Now it's your professionalism that I respect."

Dean turned away, disgusted. Alastair spat the blood out onto the floor, looking amused.

* * *

"Why are you letting Dean do this?" Anna demanded.

"He's doing God's work." Castiel answered.

She shook her head in disbelief.

"Torturing? That's God's work?" she asked. "Stop him, Cas, please. Before you ruin the one real weapon you have."

Castiel turned away, taking a deep breath.

"Who are we to question the will of God?"

"Unless this isn't his will." Anna suggested, walking forward to stand beside him.

"Then where do the orders come from?" Castiel asked with confusion.

"I don't know. One of our superiors, maybe, but not him." Anna shrugged.

* * *

Alastair gargled as he splashed holy water into his face.

"Who's murdering the angels?"

The demon choked, shaking his head.

* * *

"The father you love. You think he wants this? You think he'd ask this of you? You think this is righteous?" Anna demanded.

Castiel looked away from her, confliction clear on his fact.

"What you're feeling? It's called doubt."

Anna reached out to touch his hand and he glanced up at her.

"These orders are wrong and you know it. But you can do the right thing. You're afraid, Cas. I was too. But together, we can still…"

"Together?" He cut her off, his eyes widening as he realized what she was saying.

Castiel yanked his hand away and stepped back from her.

"I am nothing like you. You fell." He said accusingly. "Go."

"Castiel." Anna sighed.

"Go." he growled.

Anna disappeared as he heard Alastair scream once more.

* * *

Alastair spat blood onto the floor as Dean moved back to the cart.

"You're just not getting deep enough. Well, you lack the resources. Reality is just, I don't know, too concrete up here. Honestly, Dean..."

Dean ignoring him, pouring salt into another container.

"You have no idea how bad it really was, and what you really did for us." Alastair said tauntingly.

"Shut up." He whispered, not wanting to hear another word that the demon spoke.

"The whole bloody thing, Dean. The reason Lilith wanted you there in the first place." he said, grinning

Dean turned to him, his face hard and his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Well, then I'll just make you shut up."

He reached out and grabbed Alastair's chin.

"Lilith really…"

Dean poured salt into his mouth before he could say another word. The demon let out a guttural scream as blood filled his mouth and throat.

* * *

Sam drove as Elena stared out of the car at the rain.

"Listen…" he began.

"Don't." Elena said, holding her hand up. "Just don't."

Sam sighed and shook his head.

"I don't think that Dean is weak. I just think that he won't do what it takes because he doesn't want to be a bad person."

Elena looked over at him with a cold expression.

"And you think that you're better than him because you will? A better hunter? A better killer? Sam, all that makes you is like them. If you can't sort out the difference between what's good and what's bad, you're no longer doing this to save people, you're doing this to kill monsters. That's where you lose your humanity and that's where you lose the people who care about you." she said, turning away once more.

Sam couldn't speak, staring out of the windshield in shock.

* * *

Alastair choked and gargled, trying to say something.

"Something caught in my throat." He wheezed. "I think it's my throat."

"Well, strap in, cause I'm just starting to have fun." Dean replied.

He walked back to the cart and picked up the holy water.

"You know, it was supposed to be your father." Alastair said. "He was supposed to bring it on. But, in the end, it was you."

Dean paused, confused.

"Bring what on?"

"Oh, every night, the same offer, remember? Same as your father."

Dean shook his head, shaking salt onto the blade of the demon-killing knife.

"And finally you said, sign me up. Oh, the first time you picked up my razor, the first time you sliced into that weeping bitch..."

Dean turned to face Alastair, glaring at him.

"That was the first seal."

He kept his face emotionless, walking closer.

"You're lying."

"And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break."

The words hit him like a bullet and he turned away, emotions rushing over his face.

"We had to break the first seal before any others. Only way to get the dominoes to fall, right? Topple the one at the front of the line." Alastair said, obviously smirking.

Dean swallowed hard, trying to force the raging emotions away.

"When we win, when we bring on the apocalypse and burn this earth down, we'll owe it all to you, Dean Winchester."

Dean's eyes closed and he gritted his teeth.

"Believe me, son, I wouldn't lie about this. It's kind of a religious sort of thing with me." Alastair said, turning his head.

He saw the dripping faucet and the broken edge of the trap. A grin formed on his face.

"No. I don't think you are lying. But even if the demons do win..." Dean glanced down at Ruby's knife. "… you won't be there to see it."

Dean turned around but Alastair was right in front of him, free from the chains.

"You should talk to your plumber about the pipes." The demon said, rearing back to punch him.

* * *

Elena gasped and her hand shot out to grip the door of the car. The burning feeling that she felt because of her separation from Dean increased, sending pulses of pain through her head.

"Sam, hurry." She grunted, looking up at him.

"What's going on?" he demanded, looking panicked.

"Dean's in pain." She whimpered, clutching at her head.

Sam pressed down on the gas pedal, moving even faster.

* * *

Dean sputtered, choking on the blood in his mouth as Alastair shoved him against the wall. His hand enclosed around Dean's throat and he wheezed, turning red without the ability to breathe.

"You got a lot to learn, boy." Alastair growled. "So I'll see you back in class bright and early Monday morning."

Suddenly the demon felt something and he turned around. Castiel shoved the knife into his chest and he dropped Dean onto the ground. The hunter didn't move again. The wound sparked a gold light but nothing else happened. Castiel stepped away, staring at him.

"Well, almost. Looks like God is on my side today." The demon said, grinning and moving forward.

Castiel lifted a hand and the knife began to twist itself in his body. Alastair grunted in pain, stopping in place. He reached up, pulling the blade out with difficulty. When he dropped it on the ground, he snarled at the angel and charged him. The fought and Alastair quickly gained the upper hand, slamming Castiel into a nail that stuck out on the wall. He slumped down on it, blood leaking from his mouth. Alastair choked him, glaring at the angel.

"Well, like roaches, you celestials. Now, I really wish I knew how to kill you." he hissed. "But all I can do is send you back to heaven."

Alastair began to chant in Latin and bright white light appeared in Castiel's eyes and mouth. After a few moments, the demon suddenly stopped, choking. He slammed against the wall and Castiel slumped to the ground. Sam walked in with Elena following him. She ran to Dean, turning him over and immediately working on him. She looked up at Sam as she healed his brother.

"Stupid pet tricks." Alastair spat.

Castiel watched with wide eyes as Sam held Alastair in place.

"Who's murdering the angels? How are they doing it?" Sam demanded.

"You think I'm gonna tell you?" the demon hissed.

"Yeah, I do." He nodded.

Sam twisted his hand and Alastair's eyes rolled to white as he choked.

"How are the demons killing angels?"

"I don't know." He choked out.

"Right." Sam said doubtfully.

The demon sputtered and shook his head.

"It's not us. We're not doing it." Alastair said.

"I don't believe you." Sam snapped.

"Lilith is not behind this. She wouldn't kill seven angels." Alastair grinned suddenly, looking amused. "Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand."

Sam stopped choking him, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill." Sam said, glaring at him.

Elena and Castiel watched with horror as gold light flared inside Alastair. The demon screamed as he flashed several times and then collapsed on the ground, dead.

* * *

Elena sat beside the motel bed, watching Dean closely. He was sleeping. His body was healed up but he still didn't wake up. She'd cleaned him up, changing his clothes before Sam helped her lay him on the bed. The other brother was watching them from the table. Elena reached out, taking Dean's hand and wrapping both of hers around it.

"It wasn't demons." Sam said.

She looked up at him.

"It doesn't matter now." Elena said hoarsely.

He frowned at her.

"Why doesn't it matter? Of course it matters!"

She shook her head, turning to look at Dean's face. She knew that there were terrible things going on in his head at the moment.

"He went to hell so that you could live, Sam. He suffered horrors worse than you can imagine at the hands of Alastair. He was forced to tear people apart day after day and he did all of that for you." she said, reaching out to stroke her hand over his forehead.

Her eyes lifted to look at Sam.

"And?" he asked.

"And you have the nerve to call him weak." She said.

* * *

Castiel appeared next to the bench where his brother sat. The snow did not bother them.

"Castiel, I received revelation from our superiors." Uriel said, sounding horrified. "Our brothers and sisters are dying and they... they want us to stop hunting the demon responsible."

Castiel sat next to him, staring straight forward.

"Something is wrong up there. I mean, can you feel it?"

"The murders. Maybe they aren't demonic." He said. "Sam Winchester said the demons had nothing to do with it."

"If not the demons, what could it be?" Uriel demanded.

Castiel turned to him.

"The will of heaven. We are failing, Uriel. We are losing the war." He reminded him. "Perhaps the garrison is being punished."

Uriel shook his head.

"You think our father would…"

"I think maybe our father isn't giving the orders anymore. Maybe there is something wrong." Castiel said, looking up at the sky.

Uriel stood, anger on his face.

"Well, I won't wait to be gutted."

Castiel sighed, standing and walking onto the street.

"Anna." He called. "Anna, please."

A light above him flickered and he looked up before turning around.

"Decided to kill me after all?" she asked.

"I'm alone." Castiel replied, stepping forward.

"What do you want from me, Castiel?" Anna questioned.

He took a deep breath, glancing away.

"I'm considering disobedience." He admitted.

Anna nodded.

"Good."

"No, it isn't." Castiel said, shaking his head. "For the first time, I feel..."

"It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action is confusing, terrifying." Anna informed him, walking forward.

She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked at it with a furrowed brow. She sighed, dropping it.

"That's right. You're too good for my help. I'm just trash. A walking blasphemy." Anna snapped, turning to walk away.

"Anna." Castiel said desperately, stopping her in her tracks. "I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do."

The redheaded angel turned back, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Like the old days?" she said softly. "No. I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself."

Castiel opened his mouth to argue but she vanished from sight.

* * *

Elena jumped when someone else appeared in the motel room. Both of the brothers were asleep but she was remaining awake. Anna walked forward, her finger over her lips. When she reached her hand out, Elena glanced at Dean before looking back at her. The angel nodded once, telling her that she needed to come. Elena reached out hesitantly, taking her hand as she stood. They both disappeared from the motel room.

* * *

Castiel leaned over, examining the devil's trap where it was broken. When he looked up at the dripping faucet, he stood and twisted it, shutting it off.

"You called?" Uriel said once he appeared. "What do you say, Castiel? Will you join me? Will you fight with me?"

"Strange." Castiel murmured, ignoring his question. "Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels when we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate."

Uriel shrugged, looking down at it.

"Alastair was much more powerful than we had imagined."

"No. No demon can overpower that trap. I made it myself." Castiel refused, looking over at the other angel. "We've been friends for a long time, Uriel. Fought by each other's sides, served together away from home, for what seems like forever. We're brothers, Uriel. Pay me that respect. Tell me the truth."

Uriel sighed, nodding.

"The truth is, the only thing that can kill an angel..." a silver blade slid out of his sleeve into his hand. "...is another angel."

"You." Castiel said, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm afraid so." Uriel confirmed.

Castiel stepped forward, glaring at his brother.

"And you broke the devil's trap, set Alastair on Dean." He accused.

"Alastair should never have been taken alive. Really inconvenient, Cas." He said, nodding. "Yes, I did turn the screw a little. Alastair should have killed Dean and escaped, and you should have gone on happily scapegoating the demons."

"For the murders of our kin?" Castiel growled.

"Not murders, Castiel. No. My work is conversion." Uriel said. "How long have we waited here? How long have we played this game by rules that make no sense?"

Castiel took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"It is our father's world, Uriel."

"Our father? He stopped being that, if he ever was, the moment he created them. Humanity, his favorites. This whining, puking larva." Uriel said, gesturing around.

"Are you trying to convert me?" Castiel questioned.

Uriel smiled slightly.

"I wanted you to join me. And I still do. With you, we can be powerful enough to…" he trailed off.

"To..." Castiel pushed.

"To raise our brother."

Castiel suddenly realized where he stood.

"Lucifer." He nodded.

"You do remember him? How strong he was? How beautiful?" Uriel said, looking awed. "And he didn't bow to humanity. He was punished for defending us. Now, if you want to believe in something, Cas, believe in him."

"Lucifer is not God." Castiel snapped.

"God isn't God anymore. He doesn't care what we do. I am proof of that." Uriel said, spreading his arms.

"But this? What were you gonna do, Uriel? Were you gonna kill the whole garrison?" he demanded.

Uriel shook his head.

"I only killed the ones who said no. Others have joined me, Cas." He said. "Now, please, brother, don't fight me. Help me. Help me spread the word. Help me bring on the apocalypse. All you have to do is be unafraid."

Castiel nodded, glancing away.

"For the first time in a long time, I am."

Uriel smiled but it didn't last long. Castiel reared back, punching him through the wall. Uriel got up immediately, advancing on him as they began to fight. The room was destroyed around them by the time Uriel clobbered him over the head with a metal bar. Castiel collapsed to his feet, blood leaking from his mouth.

"You can't win, Uriel. I still serve God." He choked out.

"You haven't even met the man." Uriel growled, gripping his hair as he glared down at him.

Castiel didn't waver, staring back up with cold eyes.

"There is no will." Uriel punched him. "No wrath." Another punch. "No God."

He raised his fist but suddenly he was yanked backwards and thrown onto the ground. Elena bent down, picking up his fallen sword.

"Stupid girl." he spat, walking towards her. "You play with toys that you do not understand."

Suddenly he was stabbed in the back, choking as white light flowed from his mouth.

"Maybe there's a God. Or maybe not." Anna whispered.

"But there's still us." Elena said, walking forward.

She slammed the blade into his throat and he choked. They both pulled the swords out and stepped away. Uriel collapsed as Anna and Elena stood on either side of Castiel. Elena shielded her eyes as bright light exploded in the room. When it faded, Castiel stood and they all looked down at his wings that were seared onto the ground. Anna disappeared, leaving them alone.

* * *

Elena was sitting next to Dean on the bed when he finally woke up. Sam was gone but she didn't question where he was. Castiel was seated in a chair watching them. Dean sat up and looked between them.

"Are you all right?" Castiel asked.

"No thanks to you." Dean said hoarsely.

The angel took a deep breath, looking away.

"You need to be more careful."

"You need to learn how to manage a damn devil's trap." Dean fired back.

Elena smiled slightly, reaching down to hold his hand soothingly. He squeezed it gratefully.

"That's not what I mean. Uriel is dead." Castiel informed him.

"Was it the demons?" Dean asked.

Elena looked down as Castiel's eyes flickered to her.

"It was disobedience. He was working against us."

"He attacked Castiel and I was there to stop it." Elena said, leaving Anna out of the story in case other angels were listening in.

"Is it true? Did I break the first seal?" Elena's eyes widened at Dean's words and she looked at Castiel with shock. "Did I start all this?"

Castiel hesitated before nodding.

"Yes. When we discovered Lilith's plan for you, we laid siege to hell and we fought our way to get to you before you…"

"Jump-started the apocalypse." Dean finished his sentence.

"And we were too late." Castiel said, looking away as if he was ashamed.

"Why didn't you just leave me there, then?" he growled.

Elena looked at him with a sad expression, shaking her head.

"It's not blame that falls on you, Dean, it's fate." Castiel sighed. "The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can finish it. You have to stop it."

"Lucifer? The apocalypse? What does that mean?" Dean demanded.

Castiel stood up and Dean sat up as Elena tried to keep him down to rest.

"Hey! Don't you go disappearing on me, you son of a bitch." he snapped. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Castiel admitted.

"Bullshit." Dean fired back.

Castiel glanced over at them once more.

"I don't. They don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you." he said.

"Well, then you guys are screwed. I can't do it, Cas." Dean said, shaking his head. "It's too big. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not… I'm not strong enough."

Elena stared at him with devastation in her eyes. He looked broken for the first time in months. Whatever happened with Alastair had destroyed everything that they'd built up. All of the healing that had happened since he came back from hell seemed gone.

"Well, I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be." Dean said sadly, turning his head away. "Find someone else. It's not me."

Elena watched as a tear slid down his cheek and she gathered him in her arms, holding him as he cried silently. Castiel disappeared in the next moment, leaving them alone.

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**Next: Dean Smith is a corporate man with a strange assistant and a cheery boss. When he meets Sam Wesson from IT and weird things start happening, he's thrown into a world he thought he never knew existed.**

**IMPORTANT: As we have now reached 200 reviews, I will let you do two things. (1) you can still suggest things to me that you want to see. (2) you can ask any questions about the series and I will answer them.**


	23. Nothing Ever Lasts Forever

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to Kendra1994, RHatch89, Nyssandria, taylena4ever, Dark Alana, Dean Winchester Rocks, blahblahblah93, Ojha, and the guest for reviewing!**

**IMPORTANT: Your answers are at the end of the chapter. You can keep asking if you like, I'll answer anything to do with the story.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Lorde**

**1. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**2. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

As the alarm clock switched from 5:59 to 6:00, the annoying sound filled the air and the inhabitant of the bed sat up, groaning as he stopped the alarm. He stumbled out of his bed, sliding into the bathroom. After taking a shower, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his hips, leaning into the counter to shave quickly. Then he walked out of the bathroom and quickly go dress in an expensive business suit with a blue striped shirt and a red tie and red suspenders. His hair was slicked to the side. He walked out to the kitchen and made himself an expresso as he watched the news on the television. He poured it into a thermos and grabbed his workbag, walking out of his apartment.

When he got outside, he walked to his car, a silver Toyota Prius. When he turned it on, rock music blared out of the radio. He stared at it for a moment, grimacing slightly before he changed the station to the NPR Morning Edition station. When he got to his workplace, he walked inside and immediately walked into the elevator. Once he arrived at his floor, he climbed out and proceeded to his office. He passed his assistant's desk to see her bent over a pad of paper writing furiously as she spoke on the phone. He looked up at the door and smiled slightly when he saw his name on the door, **Dean Smith – Director, Sales & Marketing**.

Right after he settled himself in his office, he got a phone call. He immediately put his headset on and answered it. Laughing at the joke the man on the other line told him, he stood and walked to the window.

"Net profitability aside, it's the client-retention rate that concerns me vis-à-vis maximizing return on sales. Buzz me back once you've seen the spreadsheets." He said.

Dean turned as he heard his door opening.

"Mr. Adler." He acknowledged as he hung up, putting the headset on his desk and walking around it to stand in front of his boss.

"Dean." Adler said, clapping him on the shoulder proudly.

"Good stuff." He nodded.

"Good stuff?" Dean asked.

"Big things. Good stuff." Adler repeated.

"Good stuff." He agreed.

A knock sounded on the door and his assistant walked in. She was wearing an appropriate outfit for the workplace and Dean couldn't help but admire her beauty. She'd only been assigned to him when he arrived at the company and he'd hardly talked to the poor girl.

"Good morning." He said, looking at her.

"Morning." She nodded, smiling at both of them. "Can I get either you a cup of coffee?"

"That would be great." Dean nodded.

"None for me, thanks. I have some waiting in my office." Adler said, smiling at the assistant.

"All right." she nodded, turning to walk out.

"Hey, thanks Ellie." Dean said.

Her head snapped back to him and her eyes were narrowed slightly. Strangely enough, he found her even more beautiful when she was annoyed.

"My name is Elena." she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh…" he said, his eyes wide.

She whirled around and walked out of the office.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid. I'm sure she still thinks you're handsome." Adler chuckled, clapping his back once more before turning to walk out as well, leaving Dean alone.

* * *

A few hours later, he was sitting at his desk playing with a rubber band ball as he spoke into the headset.

"Oh I hear you. No, I haven't been to the gym in ages. Carrying a little bloat around myself. It's a sedentary lifestyle, my man, no two ways. All right, tell me one more time. You said lemon and… what was it? Cayenne and maple syrup, are you serious? How much did you lose?" he asked, writing down the recipe for the new cleanse.

His door opened and his assistant, whom he now knew to be Elena, walked in, placing a stack of papers on his desk.

"You have to sign these." She murmured softly before she turned to walk out.

He cleared his throat and she turned back to him to see him waving his empty coffee mug as he continued to talk on the phone. One eyebrow rose slowly as she put her hands on her hips.

"Do you want to ask me for something or keep waving that cup around like an idiot?" she asked, staring at him.

His eyes got wider and he choked a little at her words.

"Uh… coffee… please?" he managed to say.

She walked forward and took it from his hand.

"That's better." She nodded, patting his head affectionately before turning to walk out.

Dean stared after her with surprise. The girl was a little strange but he found himself weirdly attracted to her.

* * *

Dean was staring at his phone as he walked into the elevator. He was aware of Elena walking in after him. Her fruity perfume filled the elevator delightfully and he found himself inhaling deeply.

"Do I know you?" a tall man in a tech office yellow polo asked.

Dean looked around, catching sight of Elena glancing between him and the other man in the elevator.

"I don't think so." he said, looking at the man.

"I'm sorry, man, you just look really familiar." He said.

"Save it for the health club, pal." Dean said, stepping out of the elevator as it dinged.

The man stared after him, surprised.

"You're not wrong." Elena said, stepping forward.

The man looked over at her, his long hair falling in his eyes.

"What?" he questioned.

"He's can be a dick." Elena confirmed to a clueless Sam, smirking at him as she walked out of the elevator.

* * *

Dean groaned loudly as he walked up to the office. He stepped into the elevator rubbing his forehead.

"Need some Tylenol, boss?" an amused voice came from beside him.

He looked to see Elena standing there with the strange tall man standing on the other side of her standing there once again.

"Maybe later." He mumbled, shaking his head.

The doors opened and everyone who was in there with them spilled out, leaving the three standing there, Elena in the middle.

"Can I ask you a question?" the man asked, turning to Dean.

"Look, man, I told you, I'm not into the, uh…" Dean said, shaking his head.

"Oh dude, come on, I'm not either. I just wanna ask you one question." he said pleadingly.

Dean looked at Elena for help but she shrugged, stepping backwards.

"I'm just an assistant." She said, smirking.

"Sure." Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"What do you think about ghosts?" the man asked.

"Ghosts?" Dean replied, staring at him as if he was crazy.

"Do you believe in them?" the man questioned.

Dean laughed "Uh, tell you the truth, I've never given it much thought." He said.

"Vampires?"

"What? Why?" he asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

He saw Elena fighting a smile as she bit her lip out of the corner of his eye. She was far too amused by this and he would have to ask her about that later.

"Because I've been having some weird dreams lately. You know what I mean?" the strange, tall man said.

"No. Not really." Dean said, shaking her head.

"So you've never had any... weird dreams?"

"All right, look, man, I don't know you, okay? But I'm gonna do a public service and, uh, let you know that… that you overshare." He said, surprised when Elena let out a soft laugh behind them.

The elevator dinged and he climbed out, Elena following him with a knowing look at Sam.

* * *

"Oh my God, Elena!" Dean heard someone shriek from outside.

He stood, the panic in the woman's cry catching his attention. A few moments later, Elena appeared in his doorway.

"Someone died on the tech floor. He committed suicide." Elena said, her eyes wide.

Dean stared at her for a moment before walking past her. She followed him onto the elevator and rode down with him in silence. When they arrived on the floor, they walked into the room with a maze of cubicles to see people in coroner outfits roll a body bag past. They watched solemnly and Dean caught sight of the tall man from the elevator.

"Something about this seem not right to you?" Dean asked another man in a suit.

"Uh, yeah, try the whole thing. I'm telling you, man, I'll never eat popcorn again." The suit said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, right." Dean nodded, looking over at Elena, who looked slightly distressed.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded, her hands knotting together before she walked around the crowd to stand next to tall man. Dean felt a stab of jealousy as she talked to the man, standing rather closely to him. She quickly nodded and turned back, walking to Dean.

"His name was Paul Dunbar. Sam was friends with him." she said softly.

"Who's Sam?" Dean asked.

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, something he quickly learned she was good at.

"Your ghost friend." She said, cracking a smirk.

"Hmm." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"He was two weeks from retirement." She informed him with a sigh.

"Two weeks?" Dean asked, confused back that.

* * *

Dean was looking through some paperwork when he discovered a mistake. After having his assistant call the guy up who made it, a knock sounded on his door. Elena peeked her head in.

"Ian Keller for you, sir." She said, smiling at him.

He looked up from his computer and stared at her for a moment. Whenever she spoke to him, it felt as though she was in on a joke that he wasn't. It bothered him a little but it just added to the mystery of the girl and he wanted to know that mystery.

"Let him in." he nodded after a moment.

Elena nodded and stepped aside for the nervous tech guy to walk in.

"Hi. Ian, is it? Yeah, come on in. Yesterday you filled out a 445-T and no problem, just a few errors when we did your switch over to Vista. So I'm sure you're used to filling out the dash-R's, am I right?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no." the man said, his eyes widening fearfully.

"No no no. It's fine. It's fine. I just need you to redo one today so I can get the show on the road with the invoicing." He said, pushing a paper over the desk and smiling.

Ian looked at it, terrified, as if it was his death sentence.

"Oh my god."

"No, it's fine. Just refile it and we're square." Dean nodded, his smile faltering.

"I can't believe I did this." he said, shaking his head.

His smile completely disappeared and he leaned forward.

"I can't believe I… I can't believe I did this." Ian said, panicking.

"Hey, guy, come on." Dean said, holding his hands out as if to help.

"No, no. It affected profits. It… I screwed up. I… I can't… I can't… I am so sorry. I… how could I do that? I failed Sandover. I failed the company." Ian said, backing towards the door as Dean stood.

"All right, why don't you sit down, Ian?" he suggested, pointing at the chair.

"No." Ian said, turning to run out of the room.

"Ian? Ian. Hey." Dean called, following him.

"Boss?" Elena said as he walked past her desk.

He entered the bathroom behind the man and found him looking in the mirror.

"Ian, hey. Just chill out, man. Okay?" Dean said, shivering as he suddenly got cold.

Suddenly all of the faucets and soap dispensers came on. Dean looked around with wide eyes.

"Ian, hey, maybe we should get out of here, huh? Come on. Ian. Look at me." he urged the hysterical man.

Ian turned towards Dean, a blank look in his eyes, as he slowly pulled a pencil out of his pocket. He stared at him for a moment before lifting his hand and stabbing the pencil into his throat. The blood spattered on the mirror and wall, shocking Dean before he ran to catch him as he collapsed. He looked around and up into the mirror to see and old man standing behind them looking down at Ian. Dean whirled around to see that the room was empty as Ian drew still and stopped gurgling.

"Somebody help me!" Dean shouted.

The door flew open and Elena ran in.

"Oh my…" Her hands clapped over her mouth as her eyes widened.

"You need to call 911." He said desperately, still holding the man.

"I already did." she said, walking towards him slowly.

She knelt beside him and reached out, gingerly checking the man for a pulse.

"He's dead, boss." She whispered.

"But…" he began.

"You can put him down." She said, looking up at him.

"He just stabbed the pencil into his neck, I couldn't stop him." Dean said, looking down at Ian's blank eyes.

"I know." Elena said, reaching down to touch his hands, prying them away from his body.

"I… I…" he said, shaking his head as his hands automatically turned to grip her hands.

She looked up at him with surprise.

"Shh… it's okay, Dean." Elena murmured, reaching up to stroke his cheek softly.

Then she looked panicked as if she did something wrong, her eyes widening slightly and her mouth forming a slight 'o' before she looked away. But her gesture, whatever caused it and no matter what she thought was wrong with it, felt natural and comforting to him.

"Let's get away from… from the body." She said, standing up and pulling him to his feet.

* * *

"No, I, I followed him into the bathroom." Dean said to the cop once again as the coroner rolled a black body bag past them.

His eyes darted around to see Elena also talking to a police officer.

"He was, uh… he was standing there in front of the mirror, and then…" Dean stopped as soon as he saw the guy from the tech office, Sam, standing there.

"Continue. Sir." Officer urged him.

"And he stabbed himself in the neck. I'm sorry, that's, um..." Dean said, shaking his head.

Elena moved away from the officer and looked at him sympathetically before walking off.

* * *

As he walked back to his office, he saw Elena sitting at her desk looking a little shaken.

"Hey can you, uh, can you get your friend from tech for me? Sam?" he asked.

Elena looked up at him and nodded, a knowing look on her face as she stood to walk off. He continued to walk into the office and pulled off the bloodstained jacket, shirt, and tie. When he began to button up a fresh shirt, a knock sounded on the door.

"Come on in. Both of you." he said, looking up to see Elena and Sam standing there.

"Shut the door." He said as they walked in.

Sam shut the door and turned to see Dean staring at him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I know." Sam sighed, taking Dean by surprise.

"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded.

"Sam Wesson. I started here three weeks ago." he said, looking around the office.

"All right. You cornered me in the elevator talking about ghosts. And now..." Dean trailed off.

"Now what?" Sam asked, his statement catching his interest.

"Now nothing. I, uh...so you started working here three weeks ago, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, me too." Dean said, unscrewing the top of a bottle and picking it up to his lips.

"It's the Master Cleanse. You tried it? Phenomenal. Detoxes you like nobody's business." He said after taking a drink.

He didn't miss the roll of Elena's eyes at his words.

"When you were in that bathroom with Ian, did you see something?" Sam asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I don't know. I don't know what I saw." Dean said, shaking his head as he turned towards the window.

"Wait. Are you saying that… did you see a ghost?"

"I was freaking out. The guy penciled his damn neck." he said, gesturing wildly and sounding not at all like himself.

"You did, didn't you? Okay, listen. What if these suicides aren't suicides? I mean, what if they're something not natural?" Sam began, looking over at Elena.

"So, what, ghosts are real? And they're responsible for all the dead bodies around here? Is that what you're telling me?" Dean scoffed.

They stared at each other for a moment before sitting down in unison.

"I know it sounds crazy. But yes. That's what I'm telling you." Sam nodded.

"Uh-huh. Based on what?" Dean asked skeptically.

Sam looked as though he was searching for an answer.

"Instinct." Sam

Dean sighed and looked down at the paperwork on his desk, wishing more than anything that it would disappear.

"I've got the same instinct." He admitted.

"Boss, can I ask why I'm in here?" Elena asked, looking at between the two with a bored expression.

Dean looked up at her with surprise.

"Because I wanted to see your reaction. You didn't panic at all when you found me with that guy in the bathroom. You haven't flinched or even made a comment throughout this entire conversation even though we're talking about real live ghosts. You know something." Dean ranted, staring at her to see how she would react.

She barely blinked an eye.

"Maybe I just believe in ghosts." She shrugged.

They stared at her with wide eyes.

"I knew these two guys who did a lot of things with this kind of supernatural stuff. They knew all about it and talked about it constantly. Trust me, ghost causing suicides is the least whackadoodle thing I've heard." She said, smiling fondly.

"I think I found a connection between the two guys." Sam said after a few moments silence.

He handed Dean the papers in his hands and Dean looked down at them.

"You broke into their email accounts?" he asked, looking up at the man with surprise.

"I used some skills that I happen to have to satisfy my curiosity." Sam shrugged.

"Nice." Dean nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Okay. So it turns out Ian and Paul both got this same email telling them to report to HR, room fourteen forty-four." Sam said, pointing at the paper.

"HR's on seven." Dean said with confusion.

"Exactly." Sam nodded.

"Should we go check this out?" he asked, looking up at the other man.

"Like right now?" Sam asked, looking around.

"No. No, it's getting late. You're right." Dean nodded.

Sam looked down at his lap before looking up again.

"I am dying to check this out right now." he admitted.

"Right?" Dean said, nodding once before getting up.

Elena walked out of the office before them and picked something up off of her desk, handing it to Dean. He looked down at the wrench with confusion.

"Just in case." She shrugged.

"If a ghost attacks me, a wrench isn't gonna do a thing." Dean pointed out.

Elena shrugged and turned back to her desk.

"I'm clocking out, boss." She said.

"Oh no, if you've heard some things about this, we need your help." Elena looked back at him with wide eyes, almost looking guilty.

"I, uh…" she began, sounding conflicted.

"Fine." She sighed, putting her purse down and sliding her heels off.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her bare feet.

"If anything shows up, do you really think I want to deal with it with heels on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose not." He shrugged.

* * *

They walked down the hallway on the fourteenth floor slowly, their footsteps not making any noise. Dean was still holding the wrench and Sam was leading them. Suddenly, they heard yelling. They all ran forward and stopped at room 1444. Sam tried the door, finding that it was locked.

"What do we do now?" Dean demanded, turning to look at them.

Sam reared back and kicked the door open.

"Whoa." He said, staring at him with wide eyes as Elena smiled slightly.

They ran inside after Sam to find that a man was trapped under a bookcase. Dean and Sam hurried over to lift it off of him. Elena shrieked with surprise as an old man appeared behind Dean and effortlessly flung him into the wall. Then he shoved Sam to the side and leaned over the fallen man, his hands sparking with light. Dean jumped up and grabbed the wrench, running forward and swinging at the old man with all of his might, causing the ghost to disappear. Elena sighed and watched as Sam and Dean lifted the shelves off of the man. He scooted out from underneath and sat there with wide eyes as if trying to figure out what happened.

"How'd you know that the wrench would work?" Sam turned to Elena with questioning eyes.

"I didn't, I just figured it was good to have a weapon. Which it was, by the way. So you two can thank me for your lives anytime." She said, turning to walk out.

"How about this bump on my head? Can you fix that?" Dean asked, rubbing at it as they followed her.

When they got back upstairs, Elena reached out to grab her purse and jacket.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked as she turned to walk away.

"Home." she said, waving goodbye over her head.

"Wait! You have to help us." He said.

She turned to raise her eyebrow at him.

"Do what?" Elena asked.

"Well we have to hunt down this ghost… thing. We need… help." Dean shrugged.

Elena sighed.

"Follow me to my apartment." She said.

* * *

Dean stared around uncomfortably as they sat in Elena's comfortable living room. She'd gone to her room to change before they started to figure out what they were going to do. When she walked back in, she was wearing a pair of yoga leggings, a baggy grey sweater, and her hair was thrown up into a messy topknot with a few curly tendrils hanging in her face. Both of the men stared at her with surprise

"Either of you want anything to drink?" she asked.

"Yeah. I could use a beer, if you have it." Sam nodded.

"I'm on the Cleanse. I got rid of all the carbs." Dean said.

"I'll bring you water." Elena said as if something was funny, turning to walk into the kitchen.

"Nice job kicking that door. That was very Jet Li. What are you, like a black belt or something?" Dean asked, chuckling as Elena returned with beers for her and Sam and a bottle of water for Dean.

"No. I have no clue how I did that. It's like... we've done this before." Sam said, laughing too.

"What do you mean, before? Like Shirley MacLaine before?" he scoffed.

"No. I… I just can't shake this feeling like I… like I don't belong here. You know? Like I should do something more than sit in a cubicle." Sam shrugged.

"I think most people who work in a cubicle feel that same way."

"No. Well, look, it's more than that. Like, I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name. I don't know how else to explain it, except that... it feels like I should be doing something else. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? You ever feel that way?" Sam asked.

"I don't believe in destiny. I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though." Dean nodded.

"Don't worry, Sam. I feel that way." Elena said with a teasing grin.

Sam smiled back at her and Dean felt a little jealous again.

"All right, so, what do we do now?" Sam asked.

"We do what I do best, Sammy. Research." Dean said, finally smiling at something.

Elena's eyes lit up and her face broke out into a wide grin at something he said. He would say it again if it made her face light up like that.

"Okay. Did you just call me Sammy?" Sam asked, doing a doubletake as he stood up.

"Did I?" Dean asked, confused.

"I think you did. Yeah. Don't." Sam said with a grimace, making the grin on Elena's face fade a little bit.

"Sorry." Dean said, not sure which person he was apologizing to.

* * *

Dean and Sam sat at the table on their laptops while Elena sat on the counter in the kitchen eating a brownie.

"Sure you don't want any?" she asked, biting into one and smiling happily at the taste.

"Nah, carbs. Oh, jackpot." Dean said, looking satisfied as he found something.

"What you got?" Sam asked, leaning over his computer.

"I just found the best site ever. Real, actual ghost hunters." He said, turning his computer to face them. "These guys are genius. Check it out."

"Instructional videos." Sam said, looking interested.

Elena hopped off of the counter and leaned over the table between the two brothers to watch the video. It showed two men in labcoats and, when Dean pressed play, they began speaking alternately and very dramatically. A smirk formed on Elena's face as she watched.

"We know why you're watching."

"You've got a problem."

"A ghost problem."

"A ghost-related problem. A ghost… it's like a ghost-adjacent pr… it's like a problem that's… and the ghost is…"

"Whatever. You've come to the right place. The only decent place, really, because the Ghostfacers know how to solve it."

"Period."

"Watch and learn."

"See, the first step in any supernatural fight."

"Figure out what you're up against." The two men said together.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before Sam grabbed his laptop and dragged it over to where they could see it.

"That's him. That's the ghost." Dean said, pointing at the picture of the old man on the screen.

"P. T. Sandover. Died 1916. Devoted his life to his work. No wife, no kids." Sam said.

"Used to say he was the company, and his very blood pumped through the building." Elena read an excerpt, making a face.

"Wow, okay. So slight workaholic. Maybe he's still here, you know, watching over the company, even killing for it." Dean shrugged.

"Plus, turns out this isn't the first time people started killing themselves in the building. 1929." Sam commented.

"Yeah, but lots of guys jumped off lots of high rises that year." Dean reminded him.

"How many companies had seventeen suicides?" Elena asked, pointing at the statistic.

"Phew. Okay, so P. T. Sandover, protector of the company. His ghost wakes up and becomes active during times of grave economic distress." Dean said.

"Well, I mean, the worst time we've seen since the Great Depression…" Sam trailed of.

"… is now. Yeah, now sucks. My portfolio's in the sewer. I don't even wanna talk about it." Dean said miserably, shaking his head.

Sam made a face, rolling his eyes at the other man's dramatics.

"So Sandover's helping the bottom line…" he said.

"By zapping some model employees." Dean nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, Ian and Paul. It was like he turned them into different people."

"Perfect worker bees, exactly. So devoted to the company that they would commit hara-kiri if they failed it." Dean said.

"One more interesting fact. The building wasn't always that high. Used to be fourteen floors. And the room where the ghost attacked, fourteen forty-four? Once upon a time, that was the old man's office." Sam informed them.

Neither of them saw Elena watching them with a smile as if she was in on a secret that they weren't. All three of them returned to watching the Ghostfacers video at the same time.

"Once you've got that thing in your sights…"

"You kill it."

"Using special ghost-hunting weapons."

"First, salt. It's like acid to ghosts."

"Burny acid."

"Not LSD."

"No. It's a bad trip for ghosts. Next up, iron."

"That's why the wrench worked." Sam realized, looking at Dean and Elena.

"Pure power in your hand."

"Dissipates ghosts instantly."

"Next little trick. We learned this from those useless douchebags…"

"That we hate."

"The Winchesters."

Dean and Sam looked at Elena strangely when laughter escaped from her lips.

"I'm sorry it's just… this video… ridiculous." She said, shaking her head as she walked to the kitchen cabinet and began to pull out the salt she had.

Dean and Sam shrugged before turning back to the video.

"Gun."

"Shotgun shell. Pack it up with fresh rock salt."

"Very effective."

"Winchesters still suck ass, though."

"Affirmative. Suckage major."

* * *

Sam watched as Dean packed two iron pokers from her fireplace into a duffle bag with the salt.

"Where do we even get a gun?" Dean asked.

"Gun store?" Sam questioned, shrugging.

"Isn't there like some kind of waiting period or something?"

"I think so."

"Well, how in the hell…" Dean began.

"I don't know. Seems pretty impossible, honestly." Sam nodded.

"Right." Dean said.

Elena sighed, walking back into the room in the outfit that she'd changed into once again as they prepared to go back to the office.

"We ready?" Dean asked.

They all nodded, turning to walk out of the apartment.

* * *

Elena entered the elevator after Sam and Dean, all three silent as their hearts pounded in their chests. She'd convinced Dean to leave behind the jacket, tie, and suspenders but he was still wearing his blue button down shirt tucked in.

"Set your cell phone to walkie-talkie in case we get separated." Dean said, holding up his phone.

"How the hell are we gonna find some ancient speck of DNA in a skyscraper?" Sam questioned, messing with his phone.

"Well, that creepy storeroom used to be Sandover's office, right?" Dean asked, pressing the button for the fourteenth floor.

When they got back to the storeroom, they began to look through every single box in the room. Dean and Elena were behind some shelves rifling through stuff as Sam dug through a desk near the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice demanded.

Dean grabbed Elena's arm and they ducked out of sight.

"Nothing. I just…" Sam said, looking around for an escape.

"Come with me." the guard said, grabbing Sam's arm and shutting the door behind him.

"Man, listen. Look. It's okay. I… I work here." They heard Sam's voice over the walkie-talkie as they continued to search through stuff.

"Whatever. Tell it to the cops." The guard said.

They listened as the elevator Sam was in came to a stop and the guard pried the doors open. A few moments later, they heard a slam and a sickening crunch.

"Hey. You okay?" Dean demanded, holding the phone up to his mouth.

There was a few moments silence and he exchanged a fearful glance with Elena.

"The guard got decapitated by the elevator. Call you back." Sam said in a high-pitched voice.

"Hey, check this out." Elena said, pointing to a newspaper clipping she found of a new CEO to the company being introduced.

It was in front of a glass case with several different awards in it.

"The CEO was given a key to the building in front of the award display case on the 22nd floor of the building, where a dedication to P.T. Sandover, the founder of the company, holds a possession of the late businessman." She read off.

"Sounds like it could be something." Dean said as they turned to walk out of the storeroom.

"Dean, you there?" Sam's voice sounded as they reached the elevator.

"Yeah, listen, I think I got it. Meet me on twenty-two." Dean said into the phone.

"Okay, yeah. Just, uh, take the stairs." Sam said hesitantly.

* * *

Dean watched as Elena leaned against the wall casually as he paced in front of the display case.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"What?" she replied innocently, confused at what he was referring to.

"You're so calm and collected. It's like this ghost business doesn't even bother you." Dean said.

"Like I said…" she began.

"I know, you had friends. Who were your friends?" he demanded, curious to know his assistant's story and how she ended up being totally different than he expected.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"The Winchesters." She said.

"Those guys the Ghostfacers were talking about?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." She confirmed, looking down and kicking at the ground.

"Well… if you're so good at this, which you are, why aren't you with your friends doing stuff with them?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a hesitant look.

"Because I don't know where they are. They're… a long way away and… well it's complicated." She admitted.

"You care about them?" Dean asked.

She smiled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, they're… they're really important to me." she said.

Dean felt a stab of jealousy at the two guys she was talking about with such a tender look in her eyes. She was probably with one of the guys and, for some reason, Dean hated the stupid bastard who could call Elena his. Because that was supposed to be Dean's job. He shook his head, unsure of why he was thinking those thoughts.

"These guys, these Winchesters, they as douche-y as the Ghostfacers made them out to be?" he asked.

Elena let out a pealing laugh that he couldn't help but smile at.

"No, no they're amazing. I'll have to ask them about the Ghostfacers when I see them again. Because I'm sure there's a great story there." she said, smiling widely.

Dean nodded, smiling back at her.

"You know, one of them had this sort of philosophy. He would sometimes use this last night on earth line on girls before a hunt. Try to get them to hook up with them." Elena said, smirking slightly.

"And that worked?" Dean asked with a grimace.

"It was known to be effective." She shrugged.

"This guy sounds like a real winner." He said, causing Elena to laugh again.

He liked her laugh, it made him happier and want to laugh as well. It also made him want to kiss her but that was a whole different feeling that he would have to ignore because he was becoming more and more certain that Elena was taken by one of these Winchester guys, lucky asshole. He watched as Elena pushed off of the wall and walked towards him.

"This ghost is probably going to show up and stop us from burning the gloves." She said.

"Yeah, probably." Dean said, dreading the moment.

"He could do anything. Hurt you… or me." she shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"I suppose he could. Dude's got a wallop of a punch." Dean said, nodding.

"Well, it would be a shame if one of us were to… not make it." she sighed, looking down at her shoes.

A grin slowly formed on his face as he realized something.

"Are you using the last night on earth line on me?" he asked, hoping to God that she was.

She peeked through her eyelashes up at him.

"Maybe." She breathed.

Dean smirked and leaned down, his lips centimeters from hers.

"Hey." A voice said from behind them.

Dean turned around and Elena peeked out from behind him to see Sam staring there. Dean glared at him for a moment, taking the other male by surprise, before he noticed the blood spattered on his clothing and in his hair.

"Whoa. That's a lot of blood." Dean said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Sam said bitterly.

"Right. So, uh, in there." Dean said, pointing at the pair of gloves displayed as he looked back at Elena.

"Later." She mouthed, winking at him.

"P. T. Sandover's gloves." Elena said.

"Yeah, how much you wanna bet there's a little smidge of DNA in there? You know, like a fingernail clipping or a hair or two? Something." Dean suggested.

"So you ready?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"I have no idea." Dean admitted.

"Me neither." Sam sighed.

The two males grabbed an iron poker and Elena grabbed the container of salt.

"Go for it." Sam nodded.

"Right." Dean said before smashing the glass with his poker.

They all noticed that the room got colder and they whirled around as Sandover appeared beside Dean. He flung him into the wall and then did the same to Sam. Elena flipped open the salt and flung some on him, causing him to disappear.

"Oh. Nice." Dean sighed as he got up.

Sandover appeared behind him once more and Sam called his name, throwing him a poker. Dean whirled around and swung the iron bar with accuracy, causing Sandover to disappear once more.

"Nice catch." Sam said, walking to the other poker that was lying on the floor.

"Right?" Dean said with a smile, sounding exhilarated.

Sandover appeared between them and they swung at him at the same time as Elena ran to the gloves, lifting them out of the display case. Sandover appeared first behind Dean, then Sam, trying to dodge their attacks. When he appeared between them once more, he threw them both into the wall and headed towards Elena, who was pulling a lighter out of the bag. His hands sparked as he reached for her but she flipped the lighter open and held the flame to the gloves, watching as they caught fire. She looked up to see the ghost burn up, yelling as he did so. She dropped the burning gloves and sat back, wiping her forehead and shaking her head.

"That was amazing." Sam said, grinning like a child.

"Right? Right?" Dean said, laughing as he grinned stupidly as well.

"Idiots." Elena commented, rolling her eyes as she picked herself up off the floor.

* * *

Dean handed the first aid kit from his desk over to Elena as she held her hand out. Then he sat next to Sam on the desk as she stood in front of them.

"Man, I gotta tell you, I've never had so much fun in my life." Dean said, grinning over at Sam.

"Me neither." Sam said, smiling back.

"Was a hell of a workout too, wasn't it?" Dean asked, causing the other two to roll their eyes.

"Stay still." Elena berated him.

"Sorry." He said, turning his head back to her.

"We should keep doing this." Sam suggested, causing Elena to look over at him for a moment before looking back at Dean.

"I know." Dean replied, looking up at Elena.

"I mean it. There's got to be other ghosts out there. We could help a lot of people." Sam said.

"Right, we'd be like the Ghostfacers." Dean chuckled, shaking his head before he caught sight of her stern face and remained still again.

"No, really. I mean, for real." Sam said seriously.

"What? Like, quit our jobs and hit the road?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at him.

"Exactly." Sam nodded

"How would we live?" Dean questioned.

"Uh..."

"You gotta be kidding me. How would we get by? With stolen credit cards? Huh? Eating diner food drenched in saturated fats? Sharing a crap motel room every night?" Dean scoffed, making Elena hide a smile as she moved onto Sam.

"That's all just details." Sam shrugged.

"Details are everything. You don't want to go fighting ghosts without any health insurance." Dean said seriously.

"All right. Um. Confession." Sam offered.

"What?" Dean asked, sounding a little hesitant

"Remember those dreams I told you about with the ghosts?" Sam asked.

"Yeah?" Dean said.

"I was fighting them."

"Okay."

"With you… and Elena. We were these, like, hunters, and we were friends. More like brothers, really. I mean, what if that's who we really are? I mean, you saw us back there, working together. The ghost was scrambling people's brains. What if it scrambled ours?" Sam said, causing Elena to look at him with surprise.

"That's insane." Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"Is it? Think about it for just one second. What if we think this is our life, but it's not?" Sam said, gesturing around.

"Hey, man, the ghost is dead and we're still standing. I mean, I'm sorry, but…" Dean said, standing up.

"Look, all I know is this isn't who we're supposed to be." he said desperately.

"No. I'm Dean Smith, okay? Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo." Dean said, gesturing forcefully.

"When was the last time you talked to them? To any of them?" Sam demanded.

"Okay, you're upset. You're upset, you're confused…" Dean listed.

"Yeah, cause I only moved here cause I just broke up with my fiancée, Madison. But I called her number and I got a damn animal hospital." Sam informed him.

"Okay. What are you saying? Are you trying to say that my family isn't real? Huh? That we've been injected with fake memories? Come on." Dean said, shaking his head as he walked around the desk.

Elena backed away from Sam to watch them with apprehension.

"All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut. And I know.. I know that deep down, you gotta be feeling it too. We're supposed to be something else. You're not just some corporate douchebag. This isn't you. I know you." Sam stressed.

"Know me? You don't know me, pal. You should go." Dean said, shaking his head.

Sam sighed, shaking his head as well before he walked out of the office.

"Can you believe that guy?" he scoffed, looking at Elena who was biting her lip.

"I should go home." she said, sounding a little sad.

"What? But…" he began to argue.

She smiled sadly and stepped forward, leaning up to kiss his forehead.

"Get some sleep, boss. You'll need it for tomorrow. Lots of paperwork." She sighed, turning to walk out of the office.

* * *

Sam glared around, his nerves practically on fire as the incessant ringing filled his ears. He began to twitch, like he was dying to get out of the chair and kill a ghost or something. His eyes lifted and widened when he saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall. Elena smirked at him and cocked her head to the side as if to say, 'you ready?'. He looked down at the phone and back up at her before standing, pulling the iron poker out from underneath his desk. He lifted it high and brought it down on the phone angrily, smashing it to pieces as the room filled with silence except for one noise, Elena's delighted laughter, making people think she was crazy too.

"I quit." Sam announced calmly before ripping his headset off and throwing it on the desk.

He walked away from the cubicle and towards Elena.

"I'm so proud of you." she said as they strode off, acting as though she was wiping a tear from her eye.

Then she tossed him some keys.

"Parking garage, top level, black Impala. I'll meet you there." she said, veering off towards the elevator and pressing up.

* * *

Dean was busy typing at his computer, flashes of the previous night's events going through his head, when Adler knocked on the door and walked in.

"Got a minute? Sorry I wasn't announced but your assistant isn't out there." Adler said.

"Sure, of course." Dean said, standing up as he shut the door.

He gestured for him to sit down and he did the same.

"How are you feeling, Dean?" Adler asked, leaning back and crossing his legs.

"Uh, great." Dean said, nodding with a fake smile.

"You look a little tired. Been working hard, I gather."

"Yeah." He said, his eyes shifting slightly.

"Ah, don't be modest. I hear everything. And I'm pleased with what I'm hearing." Adler said, grinning at him.

A knock sounded on the door and they turned to it as it opened to reveal Elena in a very casual outfit.

"Oh, come on in." Adler said, gesturing to her.

"I don't want to interrupt." She said hesitantly, looking at Adler.

"Nonsense. You're welcome in here. I do think you should be here for this." he said, turning back to Dean.

He looked up at Elena hopefully as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Dean, it's important to me that you're happy." Adler said, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to Dean.

"How's that for a bonus?" he asked.

Dean looked down at the paper and choked a little.

"That's very generous."

"Purely selfish. Wanna make sure you're not going anywhere." Adler said proudly.

"Wow. Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive. You are Sandover material, son. Real go-getter. Carving your own way." Adler said.

"Well, thanks. I try." Dean replied, smiling.

Elena frowned at them.

"I see big things in your future. Maybe even senior VP, Eastern Great Lakes Division. Don't get me wrong, you'll have to work for it. Seven days a week, lunch at your desk, but in eight to ten short years, that could be you." Adler said before he turned back to Elena.

"And you could be the assistant of our VP." He said.

"Oh… wow. No." she said, shaking her head with a laugh.

Dean took off his headset as they stared at her.

"I came in here to quit. I'm leaving." She said, pointing at the door as Adler's eyes narrowed at her and Dean looked surprised.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

She nodded slowly.

"I'm going with Sam… to do that thing we talked about last night." She said, her eyes flashing to Adler as she got a stubborn look on her face.

Dean stared at her before looking back at Adler.

"Uh, well, thank you. Thank you, sir. It's, um... but..." Dean said, looking back at her as he handed the paper back.

"I am giving my notice." He said, standing up.

"This is a joke. You're kidding me, right?" Adler demanded, standing as well.

"No. I've… I recently… uh, very recently realized that I have some other work I have to do. It's, uh, very important to me." he said.

A big smile formed on Elena's face and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Other work? Another company?" Adler asked, looking between them.

"No, it's hard to explain. Um. It's just that this… this is… it's just… it's not who I'm supposed to be." Dean said, making Elena nod her head

Suddenly Adler broke out into a grin and both Dean and Elena's smiles fell.

"What?" Dean asked, confused by his sudden glee.

"Dean, Dean, Dean. Finally." He sighed, leaning forward to press two fingers to his forehead.

Dean flinched as his eyes squeezed shut and flew open. He stared around the office wildly.

"What the hell? Why am I wearing a tie? My God, am I hungry." He said roughly, placing his hand over his stomach.

He looked up at Elena with wide eyes as memories of his other self filled his mind. Adler laughed loudly, looking between them as Elena stared warily at him.

"Welcome back." he said.

"Wait. Did I… did I just get touched by… you're an angel, aren't you?" Dean demanded.

"I'm Zachariah." He said, reaching out his hand to shake.

"Oh, great. That's all I need is another one of you guys." He growled, pacing.

"I'm hardly another one, Dean. I'm Castiel's superior. Believe me, I had no interest in popping down here into one of these smelly things." Zachariah said, gesturing down to his body with disgust. "But after the unfortunate situation with Uriel, I felt it necessary to pay a visit. Get my ducks in a row."

"We are not your ducks." Elena snapped.

"Starting with your attitude. Both of you" Zachariah said with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, so, what? This was all some sort of a lesson? Is that what you're telling me? Wow. Very creative." Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You should see my decoupage." The angel said proudly.

"Gross. No thank you. So, what? I'm just hallucinating all this? Is that it?" Dean asked.

"Not at all. Real place, real haunting. Just plunked you in the middle without the benefit of your memories. Don't worry, we had you protected real good." Zachariah gestured back to Elena.

"Just to shake things up? Hm? So you guys can have fun watching us run around like ass clowns in monkey suits?" he demanded.

"To prove to you that the path you're on is truly in your blood. You're a hunter. Not because your dad made you, not because God called you back from hell, but because it is what you are. And you love it. You'll find your way to it in the dark every single time and you're miserable without it. Dean, let's be real here. You're good at this. You'll be successful. You will stop it."

"Stop what? The apocalypse, huh? Lucifer? What? Be specific, man." Dean snapped.

"You'll do everything you're destined to do. All of it. But I know, I know. You're not strong enough. You're scared. You got daddy issues. You can't do it. Right?" Zachariah taunted.

"Angel or not, I will stab you in your face." Dean threatened, glaring at him and making Elena smirk.

"All I'm saying is it's how you look at it. Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things." Zachariah said, spreading his arms out as if expecting worship for his words.

Dean turned away, staring out the window.

"Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a curse. It's a gift. So for God's sakes, Dean, quit whining about it. Look around. There are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?" Zachariah asked, making him turn back to the angel.

"Right now? I'm gonna get out of here." Dean said, turning back and walking to Elena.

She reached out her hand and laced it with his.

"You can't fool me, Dean. You've already made your decision." Zachariah called as they walked out.

They both ignored him as they climbed into the elevator. Dean sighed and rubbed his forehead as they rode down in the elevator alone.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Just… confused." He admitted.

"Well… maybe I can help." She said, turning him towards her.

He smiled at her, unable to resist the grin on her face.

"It's been too long." She mumbled, leaning up and kissing him passionately.

"Maybe we should go through an alternative universe again if I get that when we get out." he said as they walked out of the elevator, both a little ruffled.

Elena grinned back at him as they walked out of the building. They climbed up to the top of the parking garage and walked towards the Impala.

"Oh baby, I missed you." he sighed, running his hands over the trunk.

Elena rolled her eyes and walked to the passenger door as Sam rolled it down.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked.

She grinned as she leaned into the car.

"Angel shenanigans. Nothing to concern yourself over." She waved off as she watched Dean get into the driver's seat.

Sam looked over at him with a worried expression before looking back at her. Elena's smile dropped as she remembered that they were back in reality and, in reality, things weren't going so great.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! It's back to the regular storyline in the next chapter.**

**Next: When they discover books that have a very familiar storyline, Dean, Sam, and Elena go on a hunt for the author and find out something shocking.**

**CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW**

**To Kendra1994 – Right now, my plan is to have five stories. I don't know if that will change but it is my plan.**

**To Nyssandria – I might address that in the future but it won't be discussed at this point in the storyline. But no, in the past guardians have not had romantic connections to their charges and Elena and Dean were not meant to go there. This will be a source of annoyance for the angels.**


	24. In the End, Everything Collides

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to beverlie4055, RHatch89, Nyssandria, Dean Winchester Rocks, xxPaige23xx, DeanElenafan, DrawingMyHeartOut, TheElegantFaerie, and Dark Alana for reviewing! **

**To TheElegantFaerie – your answers are at the end of the chapter.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark – Fall Out Boy**

**A few things:**

**1. So I did cut the smut out of this chapter. It was getting really long and I wanted to put another surprising scene that hasn't ever been in the story before. So read to the end to see that because it's going to be good (I think).**

**2. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**3. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena looked up at the sign of the store before she shook her head and entered after the brothers. They walked to the counter of the comic book store as she began to walk around, not really wanting to take part in the interview with the cashier.

"Uh... can I help you?" she heard the man ask Sam and Dean

"Sure hope so. Agents DeYoung and Shaw. Just need to ask you a few questions." Dean said, pulling out his badge at the same time as Sam.

"Notice anything strange in the building, last couple of days?" Sam asked.

"Like what?" the cashier asked, sounding bored.

"Well, some other tenants reported flickering lights." Dean shrugged, looking around the store.

When his eyes met Elena's, she grinned at him and he smiled back.

"Uh, I don't think so. Why?" he asked.

"What about noises? Any skittering in the walls? Kind of like rats?" Sam questioned.

"And the FBI is investigating a rodent problem?" Cashier said skeptically.

"What about cold spots? Feel any sudden drops in temperature?" Sam asked, ignoring his comment.

"I knew it! You guys are LARP-ing, aren't you?" Cashier grinning as he jumped up, looking as if his day was made.

Elena looked at him with surprise as she made her way to the bargain bin and began to casually look through the assortment of comic books and novels.

"Excuse me?" Dean said, confused at what the man was saying.

"You're fans." Cashier said.

"Fans of what?" Sam said at the same time Dean said, "What is LARP-ing?"

"Like you don't know." The cashier said, smiling at them as if they made his day.

He took in their confused looks and sighed.

"Live-Action Role-Play! And pretty hardcore, too." He said, gesturing to the clothing.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." Dean said.

Elena noticed something and picked it up.

"Supernatural." She murmured, looking at the picture of the two men on the cover, one of them shirtless and holding an ax.

"You're asking questions like the building's haunted. Like those guys from the books. What are they called? Uh... 'Supernatural'." The cashier said, causing her to look up at him and back down at the book.

"Uh… guys?" She said, turning it over to read the back.

"Two guys, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh... Steve and Dirk? Uh, Sal and Dane?" the cashier said as Sam and Dean listened to him instead of her.

"Sam and Dean?" Sam asked hesitantly, sounding as though someone was playing a joke on him.

"Guys?" she said, opening the book.

"That's it!" the cashier said, excited.

"You're saying this is a book?" Dean demanded.

"Books. It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies, though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following." He said, walking around the counter and up to where she was standing, staring down at the book with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

"That's the first one, I think." He said, pointing at the book in Elena's hand.

"Let me see that." Dean said, taking it from her. "'Supernatural' by Carver Edlund."

He flipped it over to look at the back as she stared up at them with wide eyes.

"Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths." Dean said, looking over at Sam.

The younger brother grabbed the book, his eyes wide.

"We're gonna need all the copies of 'Supernatural' you've got." Sam snapped, looking at up at the cashier.

* * *

Elena curled against Dean's back, reading the book over his shoulder as they laid on the bed. She could tell by the way his jaw muscles were twitching that he was frowning, and quite frustrated. Sam was seated behind them at the table by the window looking around on his laptop.

"This is freakin' insane. How's this guy know all this stuff?" Dean snapped, closing the book and leaning back against her.

Elena reached down and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You got me." Sam shrugged.

"I can't say I'm sad I wasn't there for the Bloody Mary thing. That used to terrify me as a kid." Elena commented.

"Everything is in here. I mean everything. From the racist truck to… to me having sex. I'm full-frontal in here, dude." Dean said, holding the book up before throwing it back on the bed.

"Maybe if you kept it in your pants…" she whispered, trailing off as she pressed a kiss to his temple.

He scoffed and shimmied out of her hold, walking over to Sam as she continued to lay there, turning over to watch them.

"How come we haven't heard of them before?" Dean asked, sitting down.

"They're pretty obscure. I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one… 'No Rest For The Wicked'… ends with you going to hell." Sam said, turning the computer to face Dean.

"I reiterate. Freaking insane." The older brother said, browsing whatever site Sam had pulled up. "Check it out. There's actually fans. There's not many of them, but still. Did you read this?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot. Listen to this… Simpatico says 'the demon story line is trite, clichéd, and overall craptastic'. Yeah, well, screw you, Simpatico. We lived it." Dean scoffed, making Sam and Elena laugh lightly.

"Yeah. Well, keep on reading. It gets better." Sam urged him.

"There are 'Sam girls' and 'Dean girls' and… what's a 'slash fan'?" Dean asked, sounding a little confused.

'As in... Sam-slash-Dean. Together." Sam said, sounding disgusted.

Elena's eyes widened and she looked at them with a grimace.

"Like, together together?" Dean questioned, looking panicked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, his jaw clenched.

"They do know we're brothers, right?"

"Doesn't seem to matter." He said.

"Oh, come on. That... that's just sick." Dean said, shaking his head as he closed the laptop in disgust.

He turned to face Elena and got a look in his eye. She suddenly knew what was coming. He jumped up and crossed the room. She shrieked as he jumped on her and covered her mouth with his. Her body immediately responded, curving up to him and her hands slid around his sides to his muscular back.

"You know I'm still here right?" Sam said, sounding uncomfortable.

Dean raised his hand and made a gesture that told him to go away.

"Dean, we're in a small town in Oklahoma. Where the hell am I gonna go?" he scoffed.

"You're a nerd. Go back to the comic book store. Come back… later." He mumbled against Elena's lips as his hands entangled in her hair.

When they heard the satisfying sound of the motel door closing, he drew away and looked at her, shuddering.

"I can't even…" he said, shaking his head.

"Don't think about it." she whispered, bringing his face back down to hers.

* * *

"We got to find this Carver Edlund." Dean said as he pulled a shirt on.

"Yeah, that might not be so easy." Sam said, shoving his laptop into its case

"Why not?" Elena asked, walking out of the bathroom.

Sam looked between them with a frown, taking in their changes of clothing and refusing to think about what went down in the hotel room when he left.

"No tax records, no known address. Looks like 'Carver Edlund' is a pen name." he informed them.

"Somebody's gotta know who he is." Dean argued, picking up the weapons bag.

"We could start with the publisher, I mean whoever it is has to know his real name." Elena suggested, as she pulled her purse on her shoulder.

* * *

Elena looked around the house as she stood with Sam and Dean, the publisher looking at them.

"So you published the 'Supernatural' books?" Dean asked as she walked towards the living room..

"Yep. Yeah. Gosh. These books... you know, they never really got the attention they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that romance crap. You know… 'Doctor Sexy, M.D.'? Please." Amelia Coffman scoffed as she looked down at the books lined up on a bookshelf.

"Right. Well, we're hoping that our article can... shine a light on an underappreciated series." Sam said, smiling awkwardly at her.

"Yeah, yeah, because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press then m-maybe we could start publishing again." She stammered with a nervous smile.

"No, no, no, no. God, no. I mean, why… why would you want to do that? You know, it's, uh, such a complete series, what with Dean going to hell and all." Dean covered his outburst, looking almost pained.

"Oh, my god! That was one of my favorite ones, because Dean was so... strong... and sad and brave. And Sam... I mean, the best parts are when they'd cry."

Elena fought back laughter as Sam and Dean both looked traumatized.

"You know, like in… in 'Heart' when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved. And in 'Home' when Dean had to call John and ask him for help."

Dean looked over at Elena and Sam, mouthing "what the fuck".

"Gosh... if only real men were so open and in touch with their feelings." Amelia said as she paced back and forth.

"Real men?" Dean said, staring at her as she turned back around.

"I mean, no offense. How often do you cry like that, hmm?" she said, trying to make her point as she looked between Sam and Dean.

"Well, right now, I'm crying on the inside." he said in an annoyed voice.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" she said.

"Lady, this whole thing is funny." Dean said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"How do I know you three are legit, hmm?" she demanded.

"Oh, trust me. We're legit." Elena assured her.

"Well, I don't want any smart-ass article making fun of my boys." She said, narrowing her eyes and making them all shift uncomfortably.

"No! No, no, no. Never." Sam stuttered, trying to reassure her.

"No, that's..." Dean said, shaking his head.

"We… we are actually, um... big fans." Sam said, wincing as if the statement caused him actual pain.

"Hmm. You've read the books?" Amelia asked, skeptical.

"Cover to cover." Dean nodded

"Mm-hm." Elena agreed.

"What's the year and model of the car?"

"It's a 1967 Chevy Impala." Dean answered.

"What's May 2nd?"

"That's my…" Elena elbowed Sam in the ribs. "Uh... that's Sam's birthday."

"January 24th is Dean's." Dean threw in.

"Sam's score on the LSAT?"

"One... seventy-four?" Sam said questioningly, making Elena and Dean look at him with incredulous expressions.

"Dean's favorite song?"

"It's a tie. Between Zep's 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues'." Elena said, smirking over at Dean as he looked at her with an impressed look.

The publisher looked at them all with narrowed eyes before smiling politely and nodding.

"Okay. Okay. What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What's Carver Edlund's real name?" Sam asked.

"Oh, no. I… No. Sorry, I can't do that." Amelia stammered, shaking her head.

"We just want to talk to him. You know, get the 'Supernatural' story in his own words." Elena said.

"He's very private. It's like Salinger." She said, her eyes wide.

Sam sighed, looking annoyed and little violated.

"Please. Like I said… we are, um... big... big fans." He pulled his shirt aside and showed off the tattoo on his chest.

Sam turned to Dean and gave him a pointed look, causing him to pull his shirt aside as well. Then they both turned to Elena and raised their eyebrows. She sighed frustratingly and turned, pulling her shirt off of her shoulder to reveal the tattoo that was visible on her shoulder blade.

"Okay." Amelia sighed as she turned back around.

"His name's Chuck Shurley. And he's a genius, so don't piss him off." she said, writing down a name and an address before handing it over to Dean with an attempt at a seductive smile.

* * *

Elena crossed her arms over her chest as they walked up to the broken down looking house. They stopped at the door and Sam and Dean shared a look before shrugging. Dean reached out and rang the doorbell. The door opened slowly to reveal a man in a bathrobe with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard.

"You Chuck Shurley?" Dean asked, looking the smaller man up and down.

"The Chuck Shurley who wrote the 'Supernatural' books?" Sam demanded.

"Maybe. Why?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'm Dean. This is Sam. The Dean and Sam you've been writing about." Dean said, gesturing between himself and his brother.

The door slammed closed and Elena fought back a grin as Dean rolled his eyes and pressed the doorbell again.

"Look, uh... I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans. But, uh, for your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life." Chuck sighed as he opened the door.

He gave them an exasperated look and then tried to close the door but Dean stopped it with his hand.

"See, here's the thing. We have a life. You've been using it to write your books." He said, shoving the door open and walking in, forcing Chuck to stumble backwards into the house.

"Now, wait a minute. Now, this isn't funny." He stammered, looking panicked as the two tall brothers loomed over him with Elena behind them just standing there.

"Damn straight, it's not funny." Dean growled.

"Look, we just want to know how you're doing it." Sam said.

"I'm not doing anything." Chuck replied, sounding confused and terrified.

"Are you a hunter?" Dean demanded.

"What? No. I'm a writer." He said, continuing to back away from them as they advanced forward.

"Then how do you know so much about demons?" Sam asked.

Chuck fell backwards on the couch and Sam and Dean leaned over him slightly.

"And Tulpas, and changelings?" Dean asked.

"Boys, be nice. I think he's telling the truth." Elena said, putting her hands on their shoulders.

"Is this some kind of 'Misery' thing? Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a 'Misery' thing!" Chuck demanded, sitting up and looking at them with wide eyes.

"No, it's not a 'Misery' thing. Believe me, we are not fans!" Dean snapped.

"Well, then, what do you want?!" Chuck said, his voice slightly high pitched.

"I'm Sam. And that's Dean." Sam said, gesturing between them.

"Sam and Dean are fictional characters. I made them up! They're not real!" He said desperately.

* * *

Elena stood on the porch as Dean opened the trunk and Sam, who was holding Chuck's arm, pulled him forward to look into the arsenal.

"Are those real guns?" Chuck asked, panicking again.

"Yup. This is real rock salt, these are real fake IDs." Dean said, pulling the FBI badge out of his pocket.

"Well, I got to hand it to you guys. You really are my number one fans." he chuckled nervously. "That's, that's awesome. So, I… I think I've got some posters in the house."

"Chuck, stop." Dean sighed, turning to him.

"Please. Wait. Please, don't hurt me." Chuck said, stumbling backwards and looking around for an escape.

"How much do you know? Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking the seals?" Elena asked, starting forward.

She gave a warning look to Sam and Dean, telling the brothers with her eyes to let her do the talking since all they were doing was tempting poor Chuck to wet his pants.

"Wait a minute. How do you know about that?" he asked, looking back at her.

"The question is how do you." Dean said.

"Because I wrote it?" Chuck said questioningly.

"You kept writing?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, even after the publisher went bankrupt, but those books never came out. Okay, wait a minute. This is some kind of joke, right? Did that… did Phil put you up to this?" he asked, looking as though he hoped Phil put them up to it.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam." Dean said.

"I'm Elena Gilbert." Elena said from beside him.

His eyes widened and she knew that he finally believed them.

"The last names were never in the books. Elena was never in any of the books. I never told anybody about that. I never even wrote that down." Chuck said, terrified again.

* * *

They watched from the doorway as Chuck poured himself a generous amount of whiskey and drank it in a few gulps, throwing the glass in the sink. When he turned to face them, he groaned and put his hand to his head.

"Oh! Oh, you're still there."

"Yup." Dean nodded.

"You're not a hallucination?" Chuck asked hopefully.

"Nope." Sam said, shaking his head.

"Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god." He sighed, walking past them and into the living room, collapsing on the couch miserably.

"You're not a god." Sam assured him.

"How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through… the physical beatings alone." He said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, we're still in one piece." Dean said, looking at Elena as if she could help.

"I killed your father. I burned your mother alive. And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica." He said, gesturing to Sam.

"Chuck..." Elena sighed.

"All for what? All for the sake of literary symmetry. I toyed with your lives, your emotions, for... entertainment."

"You didn't toy with us, Chuck, okay? You didn't create us." Sam said, trying to convince him.

"Did you really have to live through the bugs?" Chuck asked, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"What about the ghost ship?"

"Yes, that too." He said, sounding exhausted.

"I am so sorry. I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing... if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass." Chuck said, gesturing wildly as he threw himself back on the couch.

"Chuck, you're not a god!" Dean said.

"We think you're probably just psychic." Sam added.

"No. If I were psychic, you think I'd be writing? Writing is hard." Chuck said pathetically, looking at them with soulful eyes.

"It seems that somehow, you're just... focused on our lives." Sam said.

"Yeah, like laser-focused. Are you working on anything right now?" Dean questioned.

"Holy crap." Chuck said, his eyes widening.

"What?" Elena asked.

"The, uh, latest book? It's, uh, it's kind of weird." He said, his eyes averting from theirs.

"Weird how?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"It's very Vonnegut." He said.

"'Slaughterhouse-Five' Vonnegut or 'Cat's Cradle' Vonnegut?" Dean asked intently.

"What?" Sam and Elena said, turning to him with surprised eyes, shocked that he named two Vonnegut books.

It wasn't that they thought he was stupid, but his intelligence didn't come from books. It came from experience and somehow naturally knowing how to handle situations.

"What?" Dean said defensively, shrugging at them.

"It's, uh, 'Kilgore Trout' Vonnegut. I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house... confronted by my characters." He said.

* * *

Elena and Dean sat on two dryers side by side as Sam loaded his laundry into a washer. They'd gone to the laundromat, promising Chuck that they would be back. The owner attempted to come over and shoo them off of the dryers but one intimidating look from Dean had the man running away with his tail between his legs.

"I'm sitting in a laundromat, reading about myself sitting in a laundromat reading about myself. My head hurts." Dean groaned as he scanned the manuscript.

"There's got to be something this guy's not telling us." Sam said as he tossed his darks into the machine.

Dean began to read out loud, making Elena smile.

"Sam tossed his gigantic darks into the machine. He was starting to have doubts about Chuck, about whether he was telling the whole truth." Dean said.

"Stop it." Sam snapped.

"'Stop it,' Sam said. Guess what you do next." Dean said, smirking up at him.

Sam turned back towards the machine.

"'Sam turned his back on Dean, his face brooding and pensive.' I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your 'brooding and pensive' shoulders." Dean said, laughing as Sam sighed frustratingly.

Elena peeked over at the manuscript.

"You just thought Dean was a dick." She announced.

Sam turned around, looking impressed.

"The guy's good." He nodded.

Dean's face fell and he did not look impressed.

* * *

Elena sat in a chair watching as Chuck paced nervously. Sam and Dean were leaning against the wall behind her.

"So... you wrote another chapter?" Sam asked, gesturing to the manuscript in his hand.

"This was all so much easier before you were real." He said, shaking his head.

"We can take it; just spit it out." Dean told him.

"You especially are not gonna like this." Chuck warned them.

"I didn't like hell." Dean said, sounding unimpressed.

"It's Lilith. She's coming for Sam."

Elena stood up immediately as Dean and Sam walked up to stand on either side of her.

"Coming to kill him?" Dean demanded.

"When?" Sam asked.

"Tonight." Chuck said.

"She's just gonna show up? Here?" Elena asked.

Chuck sat down and shakily put on a pair of glasses.

"Uh... let's see, uh… Lilith patted the bed seductively. Unable to deny his desire, Sam succumbed, and they sank into the throes of fiery demonic passion." He read.

There was a moment of silence before Sam laughed.

"You're kidding me, right?" he said.

"You think this is funny?" Dean asked.

"You don't? I mean, come on. 'Fiery demonic passion'?" Sam chuckled, gesturing to Chuck.

"It's just a first draft." The write offered.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Lilith is a little girl." Dean asked, turning to raise an eyebrow at Chuck.

"No, uh, this time she's a 'comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana'." He said.

"Great. Perfect. So what happens after the... 'fiery demonic' whatever?" the older brother asked.

""I don't know, it hasn't come to me yet.".

"Dean, look, there's nothing to worry about. Lilith and me? In bed?" Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Dean turned to glare at him as he spoke to Chuck.

"How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?" he asked.

"You mean my process?" Chuck replied.

"Yes, your 'process'." Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it usually starts with a headache. A really bad headache. Aspirin is useless, so... I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream." Chuck said.

"The first time you dreamt about us?" Dean asked, sounding violated.

"It flowed. It just, it kept flowing. It still does. I… I can't stop it, really."

"You can't seriously believe…" Sam began.

"Humor me." Dean interrupted his brother.

Chuck pushed his hand out, handing the manuscript to Dean.

"Look, why don't we, we just..." he trailed off, taking the manuscript.

"… take a look at these and see what's what." He said, staring at Chuck strangely.

"You…" Dean chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head.

"...knew you were gonna ask for that. Yeah." Chuck nodded.

* * *

Elena sat in the backseat as Dean drove away from the town.

"Dean, come on." Sam scoffed as he read the manuscript in the passenger seat.

"The minivan accident wasn't that bad, but Dean was still seeing stars. He scratched absently at the pink flower Band-Aids on his face." he read.

Elena laughed quietly at the visual of pink flowers on Dean's face.

"So?" Dean asked, not getting the point.

"So, I've seen you gushing blood. You'd use duct tape and bar rags before you'd put on a pink flower Band-Aid." Sam said.

"What's your point?" he fired back.

"My point is this… all of this… is totally implausible, it's nuts."

"He's been right about everything so far. You think he's just gonna ground out at first now?" Dean snapped.

Sam scoffed and looked down at the manuscript.

"Dean slid behind the wheel of his beloved Impala and drove off, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow."

"A tarp?" Dean said, his voice slightly higher-pitched.

"Yeah. On the rear window. And you drive it like that." Sam said, turning to look at him.

"Well, he might be wrong about the details, but doesn't mean he's wrong about the end result." Dean said, looking traumatized.

"So we're just gonna run?" Sam asked.

"Dude, we are a long way from ready for a face-to-face death match with Lilith." Dean replied.

Elena straightened up when they came up on a roadblock. Dean rolled down his window and a deputy bent down to talk to him.

"What seems to be the problem?" Dean asked.

"Bridge is out ahead." The deputy said, gesturing to the river.

"We're just trying to get out of town." Dean said.

"Yeah, afraid not." The man said, shaking his head.

"Is there a detour?" Elena asked, leaning forward.

"Nope."

"There's not a side road that takes us to the highway?" Dean questioned hopefully.

"To get to the highway, you have to cross that river. To cross the river, you have to take that bridge." The deputy said with a sympathetic face.

"How deep's the river?" Dean asked after a moment of silence.

"Sorry. Afraid you boys are gonna have to spend the night in town."

* * *

Elena sighed as she laid her head on her arms that were folded on the table. They'd gone to the nearest diner to figure out what to do.

"Hey, this could be a good thing. I mean, if this is what puts us on the path to Lilith, then all we got to do is get off the path." Dean said, looking down at the manuscript.

"How do you mean?" Sam asked.

"It's a blueprint of what not to do. I mean, if the pages say that we go left…" he trailed off.

"Then we go right." Sam nodded.

"Exactly. We get off-book. We never make it to the end. It's opposite day. It says that we, uh, we get into a fight. So… no fighting." Dean said.

Elena rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. It was highly unlikely that they would manage to not get in a fight.

"No research for you..." he said, pointing at Sam.

"No bacon cheeseburger for you." Sam interrupted.

Dean's head snapped up and he looked slightly put out.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll just order something else." he said, sounding sad as Elena reached out and rubbed his arm comfortingly.

They all looked up as the waitress approached.

"Hi, uh, what's good?" Dean asked.

"Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country." She said in a bored tone.

Sam laughed as Dean looked devastated.

"Really?" he said.

"I'll just have the cobb salad, please." Sam said, grinning madly.

"I'll get the bacon cheeseburger and you can have a few bites." Elena said, smiling over at Dean.

He grinned at her and leaned down to press his lips to her softly.

"I'll have the... veggie tofu burger. Thanks." He said as he drew away.

The waitress nodded, taking their menus before turning to walk away.

"This whole thing's ridiculous." Sam said, shaking his head.

"Lilith is ridiculous?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"The idea of me hooking up with her is." He scoffed.

"Right. Cause something like that can never happen." Dean said, shaking his head as he went back to reading the manuscript.

Sam scowled at Dean for a moment before pulling his face under control.

"Dean, for the first time, we have warning that Lilith is close." He said, leaning in.

"So?" Dean said, almost daring Sam to finish his thought even though both of them knew what was coming..

"So... we've got the jump on her. If we know when she's coming, we know where she's… this is an opportunity." Sam said with a slight smile.

Elena stared at him with wide eyes and Dean looked up from the manuscript with an incredulous face.

"Are you…" his fists clenched and Elena sensed that he was trying very hard not to get angry. "It frustrates me when you say such reckless things."

"Well, it frustrates me when you'd rather hide than fight." Sam shot back.

"Guys, you may not think so because you're not shouting or throwing punches, but this is you two fighting." Elena said, trying to stop them.

"Cobb salad for you. Bacon cheeseburger for you. And the tofu veggie burger for you." the waitress said once she approached the table, setting the plates in front of them.

"Thank you." Elena said, smiling up at her.

The waitress left and Dean leaned in close as he bent down and picked up his burger..

"It's not hiding. It's being smart. It's picking your battles. This is a battle that we are not ready to fight." He hissed before taking a bit bite of his burger.

His eyes widened and he grinned.

"Oh, my god. This is delicious. Tofu is amazing!" he announced happily.

"Um, Dean…" Elena trailed off, looking between their plates.

The waitress ran up, looking flustered.

"I am so sorry. I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake." She said, snatching it from underneath him and switching it with Elena's plate.

Dean looked sad again while Sam scowled down at his salad.

* * *

Elena felt her skin crawl as they pulled up to a dank-looking motel.

"Dude, this place charges by the hour." Sam scoffed, grimacing over at Dean.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel. Hence, the uh, hooker inn. It's opposite day, remember?" Dean reminded him.

Dean dropped his bag on one of beds and Elena flinched when a cloud of dust puffed into the air. He pulled out a few small drawstring bags, walking around the room and setting them in different places.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Couple of hex bags ought to Lilith-proof the room." Dean said.

"So, what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?" the younger Winchester demanded.

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do – use the Magic Fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View." Dean said pointing at the television.

"Please don't watch Casa Erotica." Elena said, standing in the middle of the room because she didn't trust any surface enough to touch it.

"Oh, dude, come on." Sam complained as Dean pulled his laptop out of his bag.

"Just call it a little insurance." Dean said, shrugging with a satisfied grin.

"What are you gonna do?" Sam demanded, sounding childishly angry.

"Well, the pages say that I spend all day riding around in the Impala. So I'm gonna go park her. Behave yourself, would you? No homework. Watch him for me, would you?" Dean said to Elena.

He smiled, obviously pleased with himself, before he turned to walk out of the room. Elena looked up to see a fuming Sam drop into a chair. She looked around the room with terrified eyes. As she slowly made her way towards the bed that looked a little cleaner than the other, a cockroach ran out from underneath it. She shrieked and jumped backwards, scrambling away from it and jumping up onto the other wooden chair.

"You all right?" Sam asked, looking up at her with a questioning look.

"Please get it." she whimpered, pointing at the disgusting creature.

Sam peeked around to see the bug scuttling across the floor.

"Seriously?" he said.

"Sam!" she began whining.

"Fine, fine. You should, uh, you should read the 'Bugs' book. That case was… great." He said with a grin, pulling the book out of his bag and tossing to her before he walked over and stomped on the bag.

Elena gagged at the crunching noise and threw the book back at him, hitting his head as he laughed at her fear.

"You're not funny!" she hissed, gingerly getting off of the chair.

When she looked around the room, she shook her head.

"This place is making me feel disgusting. I'm going to take a shower." She said, shuddering.

She turned to walk into the bathroom, taking her bag with her. When she ripped the curtain aside, she saw a spider go running into the drain as another cockroach came scuttling out of the curtain.

"Nope!" Sam heard her shout from the bathroom.

He looked up with amusement as she came stomping out, her bag clutched in her hands.

"Nope! No! No! No! I can't fucking do it! No!" Elena ranted, shaking her head as she walked to the door and yanked it open, walking outside as she shivered.

When she got outside the door, she slammed it shut and looked around. The Impala was already gone but Dean couldn't have gone far to park it. She stepped forward at the same time as she heard a door slam shut across the courtyard. She turned her head to see a scantily clad woman standing on the sidewalk counting a stack of money before smiling and shoving it into her purse.

"I can't stay in this damn motel!" she said to no one in particular.

She looked up at the motel sign and she felt the blood drain from her face. Instead of saying 'Toreador' as it should have, it said 'red'.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, running forward as she remembered that Dean got hit by a van next.

When she heard the screeching of tires and a slam from a few streets over, she broke out into a run. When she caught sight of a tan van sitting in the middle of the road with a woman and her daughter kneeling over a man who was lying in the middle of the road, her heart stuttered.

"Dean!" she cried, darting forward and running into the road without a second thought.

* * *

Sam sighed as he opened the door to reveal Chuck standing there.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, looking unsure.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, opening the door wider for Chuck to come in. "Thanks for coming."

"Ah, sure." Chuck nodded, turning around.

"Um... I was just wondering how much you know. About me." Sam said, sounding vague.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen visions of me when I'm not with Dean?" he asked.

"Oh... you want to know if I know about the demon blood." Chuck nodded.

"You didn't tell Dean." Sam said, panicking for a moment.

"I didn't even write it into the books. I was afraid it would make you look unsympathetic." The writer shrugged.

"Unsympathetic?" he questioned.

"Yeah, come on, Sam. I mean, sucking blood? You got to know that's wrong." Chuck said, shaking his head.

"It scares the hell out of me. I mean, I feel it inside of me. I... I wish to God I could stop." Sam said, sounding desperate.

"But you keep going back." he pointed out.

"What choice have I got? If it helps me kill Lilith and stop the apocalypse…" Sam trailed off.

"I thought that was Dean's job. That's what the angels say, right?" Chuck said.

"Dean's not... he's not Dean lately. Ever since he got out of hell." Sam said, shaking his head.

"So you got to carry the weight?"

"Well, he's looked out for me my whole life. I can't return the favor?" he said.

"Yeah, sure you can. I mean, if that's what this is." Chuck said, shrugging.

"What else would it be?" Sam questioned suspiciously.

"I don't know. Maybe the demon blood makes you feel stronger? More in control?" he suggsted.

"No. That's not true." Sam said, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I know it's a terrible burden… feeling that it all rests on your shoulders."

"Does it? All rest on my shoulders?" Sam asked.

"That seems to be where the story's headed." Chuck replied.

"Am I strong enough to stop Lilith tonight?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know. I haven't seen that far yet."

* * *

"Do you know him?" the lady asked, looking at Elena with wide eyes as she fell to her knees beside Dean, who was unconscious..

Elena stared down at him without answering.

"Why does he have flower band-aids on his face?" she asked, pointing at them.

Then she noticed the little girl who was holding them with a slight pout at getting interrupted from playing doctor. Dean groaned and she looked down to see him opening his eyes.

"Stars." Dean said incoherently.

"What?" Elena asked, confused.

He raised his hand and pointed at the woman's earrings, which were long dangling stars.

"Stars." He mumbled, trying to pick his head up.

"I'm so sorry. I just didn't see you. Are you okay?" the woman asked.

Elena helped him sit up slowly, trying to sneakily heal him without the woman noticing. Luckily, he had no visible wounds. But there was a very good chance he had a concussion.

"And sorry about... you know." The woman said, looking warily at Elena and then Dean's cheek as she gestured to her daughter.

"My… my daughter's going through a doctor phase." She explained.

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, looking confused.

"You're all better now." The little girl said with a smile.

Dean furrowed his brow and looked around. His face formed a devastated grimace as he caught sight of something.

"Oh, no..." he whispered, standing up slowly with Elena's help.

She turned to see the back window of the Impala busted out. Dean stumbled towards it, despite her protestations, and she caught sight of his furious face. When he caught sight of his reflection, he finally noticed the band-aids and peeled one off, looking at her with trepidation.

"I have a plastic tarp for that, if you need it. It's the least I can do." The woman said, smiling at them as she held out the clear plastic tarp.

Dean turned to her after taping it down on his car.

"We are going to see that damn psychic." He growled.

"As long as it gets me out of that STD and cockroach infested place. By the way, the sign of the hotel says red now. We haven't escaped anything." she said, climbing in the car with him.

* * *

Chuck finally entered the living room after they'd sat there for about fifteen minutes. Elena was massaging Dean's head when he walked in carrying a bottle of alcohol.

"Dean. Elena." Chuck said, not looking at all surprised by their presence.

"I take it you knew we'd be here." Dean said roughly, leaning forward with a glare.

"You look terrible." the writer commented.

"That's cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck." He snapped.

"Oh." Chuck sighed.

"That it? Every damn thing you write about me comes true; that's all you have to say is 'oh'?!" Dean growled, standing up as Elena remained sitting.

"Please don't yell at me." he said pleadingly.

"Why do I get feeling there's something that you're not telling us?"

"What wouldn't I be telling you?" Chuck said with a nervous chuckle, backing up.

Elena stood and followed Dean as he advanced on the poor man.

"How you know what you know, for starters!" Dean thundered, angry now.

"I don't know how I know, I just do!" Chuck said, scrambling away from him.

"That's not good enough." Dean snapped, shoving him against the wall.

"Dean!" Elena berated him, launching forward to pull him off of the writer.

"How the hell are you doing this?!" Dean shouted.

They heard the fluttering of wings at the same time.

"Dean, let him go!" Castiel commanded, his voice as loud as Dean's.

The hunter released the writer and slowly turned to face the angel.

"This man is to be protected." Cas said, pointing at Chuck.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"He's a Prophet of the Lord."

"You... you're Castiel... aren't you?" Chuck breathed as Elena and Dean turned to look at him.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck. I... admire your work." Cas said walking to a table and picking up one of the books before he began looking through it.

"Whoa, whoa, what? This guy, a prophet? Come on, he's… he's... he's practically a Penthouse Forum writer." Dean said, sounding skeptical as Chuck grabbed his alcohol and ran to the armchair, pouring himself a glass.

"Did you know about this?" Elena asked Chuck.

"I, uh, I might have dreamt about it." he said nervously before taking a gulp of the whiskey.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Dean demanded as Cas ignored them, steadily skimming the book.

"It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness." Chuck ranted.

He finished his tirade and desperately gulped down the whisky.

"This is the guy who decides our fate?" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"He isn't deciding anything. He's a mouthpiece… a conduit for the inspired word." Cas said, his eyes still on the pages.

"The word? The word of God? What, like the new new testament?" Dean questioned.

"One day, these books… they'll be known as the Winchester gospel." The angel said.

"You got to be kidding me." Elena, Dean, and Chuck all said at the same time.

"I am not... kidding you." Cas said, finally looking up with a furrowed brow, the words sounding foreign in his voice.

"If you'd all please excuse me one minute." Chuck said in a trembling voice, clutching the bottle to his chest as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Him? Really?" Dean said, looking at Cas with a 'what the hell' look.

"You should've seen Luke." Cas said, placing the book on a table.

Dean scoffed and shook his head, walking past the angel.

"Why'd he get tapped?" he demanded.

"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command." Cas answered, turning to face him.

"How high?" Elena questioned.

"Very."

"Well, whatever. How do we get around this?" Dean asked, looking back at him.

"Around what?" Cas asked.

"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"

"What the prophet has written can't be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass." Castiel said.

* * *

"Come on. We're getting out of here." Dean said as him and Elena walked into the room.

Elena stood at the door, unwilling to go any further into the disgusting room as Dean collected his bag.

"What? Where?" Sam asked, looking up from the television that was, luckily, not playing porn.

"Anywhere, okay? Out of this motel, out of this town. I don't care if we got to swim, we are getting out." Dean said, stopping and looking around with a confused look.

"Dude, where are all the hex bags?" he demanded.

"I burned them." Sam said, readying himself for a fight.

"You what?" Dean said through gritted teeth.

"Look, if Lilith is coming, which is a big 'if'…" Sam began.

"No, no, no. It's more than an 'if'. Chuck is not a psychic. He's a prophet." Elena broke in, staring at Sam with disbelief.

It was as if he was a total different person from the man that she met. She couldn't help but wonder what else happened because it couldn't have merely been Ruby's presence, could it? Something else was going on.

"What?" Sam said, wide-eyed as he stared between them.

"Cas showed up, and apparently Chuck is writing the gospel of us." Dean said, glaring around the room.

"Okay." The younger brother said.

"Okay. Let's get the hell out of here." Dean said, turning towards the door.

"No." Sam said, stopping him in his tracks and making him turn around.

"Lilith is gonna slaughter you." Dean said.

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't." Sam shrugged.

"So what? You think you can take her?"

"Only one way to find out, Dean, and I say bring her on." Sam said simply.

"Sam..." Dean began.

"You think I'll do it, don't you? You think I'll go dark side." Sam demanded, looking down at his lap.

"Yes! Okay? Yes. The way you've been acting lately? The things you've been doing?" Dean said, his voice raising.

Sam's head snapped up, startled. His eyes were wide with fear and Elena was certain that something was going on because he knew that she was bound to tell Dean everything that she'd witnessed. Why was he surprised by Dean knowing about that? The answer was, he wasn't surprised… about that. There was something else, another dirty secret that he was keeping from both of them. Elena didn't reveal this to Dean because, if she did, Sam would most likely shut down.

"Oh, I know. How you ripped Alastair apart like it was nothing, like you were swatting a fly. Cas and Elena told me, okay?" Dean snapped.

"What else did Cas tell you?" Sam asked, jumping up.

"Nothing I don't already know. That you've been using your psychic crap, and you've been getting stronger. We just don't know why, and we don't know how."

"It's not what you think." Sam said pleadingly.

"Then what is it, Sam? Cause I'm at a total loss." Dean said, throwing his hands up before turning to head for the door again. "Are you coming or not?"

"No." Sam said.

Elena stopped Dean and they both turned back to Sam. Dean glared at his brother before throwing his bag down into a chair and grabbing her hand, pulling her out of the room.

* * *

Elena watched as Dean dropped coins into the vending machine, half expecting an empty can to roll out of the dusty machine. Dean sighed and backed away, looking at her.

"Well, I feel stupid doing this. But... I am fresh out of options. So please. I need some help. I'm praying, okay? Come on. Please." He said, closing his eyes.

Elena smiled tenderly at him. Even when he was pissed at his brother, seeing red at his actions, he was praying in order to help him.

"Prayer is a sign of faith. This is a good thing, Dean." Cas said walking towards them once he appeared.

"So does that mean you'll help us?" Dean asked, turning to the angel.

"I'm not sure what I can do." He said, uncertain of what Dean wanted.

"Drag Sam out of here, now. Before Lilith shows up." Dean said pleadingly.

"It's a prophecy. I can't interfere." Cas said, shaking his head.

"You have tested me and thrown me every which way. And I have never asked for anything. Not a damn thing. I tortured for you, Cas, something I never wanted to do again. But now I'm asking. I need your help. Please." Dean said.

"What you're asking, it's... not within my power to do." Cas said regrettably

"Why? 'Cause it's 'divine prophecy'?" Dean growled, turning to kick his shoe against the soda machine.

"Yes." The angel sighed.

"So, what… we're just supposed to sit around and, and wait for it to happen?" Elena asked, pushing off of the wall to look at Cas.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, looking frustrated.

Elena bit her lip and looked down. It was hard to wrap her head around the other angels, like Zachariah, when the angel they dealt with the most was Cas. He was the most human of all of them and Elena had to wonder how that happened since, from he what he told them, they were the first humans he'd really interacted with. It was easy to forget sometimes that he was an extremely powerful heavenly being. But then sometimes, his confusion at the way humans thought and acted was almost laughable and it became clear that he was something else.

"Screw you. You and your mission, your God. If you don't help me now, then when the time comes and you need me... don't bother knocking." Dean snapped, brushing past Castiel to walk away.

"Dean. Dean!" Cas said, turning to stop him.

"What?!" Dean yelled, turning to glare at him.

"You must understand why I can't intercede. Prophets are very special. They're protected." Cas said, a gleam in his eye that made Elena turn his words over in her mind.

"I get that." Dean said, confused.

"If anything threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat. Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're heaven's most terrifying weapon."

Dean stared at Cas, shrugging. But Elena got an idea. Her eyes widened slightly.

"And these archangels, they're tied to prophets?" she asked, a slow smile spreading on her face.

"Yes." Castiel said, looking satisfied at her sudden change in emotions.

She grinned at him, not missing the corners of his mouth twitching as well. She turned to Dean and saw the realization dawn in his eyes when he realized what they were saying.

"So if a prophet was in the same room as a demon…" Dean trailed off as he walked forward to stand with them again.

"Then the most fearsome wrath of heaven would rain down on that demon. Just so you understand... why I can't help." Cas said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he looked up at the sky.

Dean and Elena exchanged a hopeful glance before looking back at the angel.

"Thanks, Cas." Elena said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, uh… thanks." Dean nodded.

"Good luck." The angel said, nodding at them before disappearing once again.

* * *

When they walked into his house without knocking, Chuck was sprawled out onto the couch. He looked up at them with wide eyes.

"What are you doing here? I didn't write this." he said, scrambling up to a sitting position.

"Come on. I need you to come with me." Dean said, grabbing his shirt by the scruff and pulling him up to a standing position.

"Hey, be gentle with the prophet." Elena berated him, smiling.

Dean grinned back and she knew that both of them were feeling a burst of adrenaline at the idea that they were actually going to stop a prophecy that was 'impossible' to stop.

"What? Where?" Chuck asked, wide-eyed.

"To the motel where Sam is." Dean said as they walked out of the house.

"That's where Lilith is." The writer said, panicking.

"Yeah, exactly. We need you to stop her." Elena said as he was thrown into the passenger seat.

"Are you insane? Lilith? I know what she's capable of, Dean. I wrote her." Chuck said as they climbed in as well and Dean started the car.

"All right, listen to me. You have an archangel tethered to you, okay? All you got to do is show up and boom! Lilith gets smoked." Dean said, looking at Chuck before he pulled away from the curb.

"But I… I haven't seen that yet. Th-the story…" he stammered.

"Chuck, you're the only shot that I've got left." Dean said pleadingly.

"But... I'm just a writer." Chuck whimpered.

"This isn't a story anymore, man. This is real! And you're in it! Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight. Come on, Chuck." Dean said, his voice raised a bit.

"No friggin' way." Chuck said, shaking his head.

"Okay, well, then, how about this… I've got a gun in my pocket, and if you don't come with me, I'll blow your brains out." Dean said, gesturing to his waistband as Elena sighed.

Threatening to shoot him in the head was not being gentle with the prophet.

"I thought you said I was protected by an archangel." Chuck said questioningly.

"Well, interesting exercise. Let's see who the quicker draw is." Dean shrugged.

* * *

Sam approached the door to the motel room slowly after he heard a knock on it. When he opened it, there was nothing out there. He tensed up and slowly closed the door before turning to face the room. A blonde woman stood there smirking.

"Hello, Sam." Lilith said, cocking her head to the side.

"I've been waiting for you." he informed her.

Her smirk became more pronounced as her eyes turned white.

"Where's the knife, Sam?" she asked, backing away from him and walking towards the bed.

"On the nightstand. By the bed." He said, pointing at the piece of furniture.

She began walking toward the bed but stopped, stooping down to life the rug. She turned towards him once she caught sight of the Devil's Trap beneath it. Her eyes rolled and she bent down and touched it with her finger, causing it to burn away.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that." Lilith said, standing to face him.

"How about this?" Sam asked, reaching out a hand with concentration.

A wind filled the room and blew her hair back but nothing else happened.

"You're strong. But you're not that strong. Not yet." Lilith said with a grin.

"So why don't you throw me around then?" Sam asked.

"Because I can't, and you know it. You're immune to my charms. Seems we're at a stalemate." She shrugged, walking to the bed and sitting on the edge.

"Why are you here?"

"To talk."

"Yeah, well, I'm not interested." Sam scoffed.

"Hmm... even if I'm offering to stand down? From the seals... the apocalypse... all of it?" Lilith suggested, smiling when he stared at her.

"You expect me to believe that?" he questioned.

"Honestly? No. You were always the smart one. But it's the truth. You can end it, Sam. Right here, right now. I'll stop breaking seals, Lucifer keeps rotting in his cage. All you have to do is agree to my terms." She said, leaning back on her hands.

"Why would you back down? Why now?" Sam demanded.

"Turns out, I don't survive this war. Killed off, right before the good part starts." Lilith informed him.

A few moments of silence reigned in the room before Sam sighed.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"For it to go back to the way it was. Before I had angels to deal with 24/7. The good old days, when it was all baby blood all the time." she said, smirking.

"And what do you want in return?" Sam asked.

"Your head on a stick. Dean's, too. And that annoying girl. Call it a consolation prize. So what do you say, Sam? Self-sacrifice is the Winchester way, isn't it?" Lilith asked.

"You really think I'm stupid enough to fall for this?" Sam said, shaking his head.

"I make a deal, I have to follow through. Those are the rules, and you know it. Are you really so arrogant that you would put your life before the lives of six billion innocent people? Maybe it's all that demon blood pumping through your pipes. Man after my own heart." Lilith said mockingly, placing her hand over her chest.

"You think I'm like you? I am nothing like you." Sam snapped.

"Then prove it. Going once." She said, holding up one finger. "Going twice."

"Fine." Sam said, stopping her counting.

"Swell. By the way, a contract with me will take more than a kiss." She said, laying back and gesturing to the spot next to her. "A lot more. Don't worry. The dental hygienist in here? She wants it bad."

Sam approached slowly and, when he got to her, she ran a hand up his leg as her eyes turned white once again. Then she reached up and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down on top of her. As their lips neared each other, Sam pulled the knife out of his belt and attempted to stab her. She was ready for that, countering his attack by flipping them over and grabbing the knife, throwing it across the room. She glared down at Sam but, before she could attack, the door slammed open and Dean, Elena, and Chuck ran in.

"I am the prophet Chuck!" the writer announced dramatically.

"You've got to be joking." Lilith said, rolling her eyes as she stood and approached Chuck.

The room began to tremble and Elena looked up at the ceiling to see the wood rattling.

"Oh, this is no joke." Dean said as a great white light poured through the windows. "You see, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder. You've got about 10 seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith glared at them, her eyes turning to Elena.

"When I see you again, Dean Winchester, I'm gonna torture your little girl right in front of you. I'm gonna make her feel so much pain that her screams will cause you pain." She threatened, making Elena's skin crawl.

But Elena wasn't quite ready to back down.

"Good luck with that. I've heard you've had it out for me for a while. Do you even know what I am?" Elena said, smirking back at her.

Lilith simply stared.

"I'm a guardian. And, well last time I checked, a guardian had a little protector of her own. Oh… wait… did I say little? I meant an archangel. Chuck here isn't the only one with an angel on his shoulder." Elena shrugged.

Then her smirk disappeared and she glared at the demon.

"I would run… now." She encouraged her.

Lilith turned to give Sam one last look before pouring out of her screaming vessel's mouth.

* * *

"So a deal, huh?" Dean asked as they drove down the highway, the tarp still flapping in the breeze.

"That's what she said." Sam nodded, looking down at the demon-killing knife in his hand.

"To call the whole thing off… angels, seals, Lucifer rising, the whole nine?"

"That was the gist of it."

"Huh." Dean said, looking out the window.

"What?" Sam asked, looking over at him.

"You didn't think once about taking it?" Dean asked, looking back.

"You kidding me? Dude, you spent all day trying to talk me off the Lilith track." Sam scoffed.

"I'm just saying..." Dean trailed off.

"She would have found some way to weasel out of it. And all it would have cost us was our lives." Sam sighed, looking out the window.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, that's not the point." He said.

"What's the point?" Dean asked.

"The point is, she's scared. I could see it. Lilith is running." Sam said, looking over at Dean.

"Running from what?" Elena asked, leaning forward.

"Don't know. But she was telling the truth about one thing." Sam said, looking down at his hands again.

"What's that?" Dean questioned.

"She's not gonna survive the apocalypse. I'll make sure of that." he said, looking out the window.

Elena's eyes narrowed and she sat back, looking out the window as well. Sam was hiding something. Maybe Dean didn't realize it. Maybe Cas didn't even know, but she did. And she was determined to figure it out. Not for Dean, not for herself. But for Sam. Because whatever shit he got himself into, he was going to need a hell of a lot of help getting himself out of it. And, as she was his guardian, it was up to her to help him whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

Chuck sat up quickly, his body reacting violently to the dream he just had.

"Did you see it?" a man said by the window, turning to face him.

"Who are you?" Chuck asked, really tired of visitors just showing up in his home.

"I'm Zachariah. You may know me from your work." The angel said, walking forward.

"What do you want?" the prophet questioned.

"Did you see it?" Zachariah asked again.

Chuck nodded slowly, looking fearful.

"Is it true? Is all of that... really going to happen?" he asked.

"Have you been wrong so far?" Zachariah shrugged, smirking.

Chuck stood, walking for the door.

"I've got to warn Sam and Dean and Elena." he said.

"I wouldn't advise it. People shouldn't know too much about their own destiny. You try... and I'll stop you." Zachariah promised him.

Chuck stopped and turned to look at the angel before heading in a different direction.

"Where are you going now?" Zachariah sighed.

"To go kill myself." The man said, sounding miserable.

"Don't be melodramatic, Chuck. We'd only bring you back to life." he chuckled.

"What am I supposed to do?" Chuck demanded, turning to face him with confusion on his face.

"What you always do. Write." Zachariah shrugged before smiling and disappearing.

* * *

Elena moved slowly through the grocery store, picking out food for Bobby's house. They were back in Sioux Falls and she was stocking him up once more since she knew Bobby wouldn't go to the store unless it was for beer, whiskey, and frozen pizza. When she rounded the corner, she gasped and stopped short when she saw the familiar blonde standing there.

"How did you find me?" she said, stepping backwards.

"I have my tricks. I could have found you a hundred times before now. Relax. I've been told hands off of you." Lilith said, moving forwards.

"Relax? Around you?" Elena scoffed.

The demon smirked at her, stopping about five feet away from her.

"You really think those angels are on your side, don't you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Elena glared at her without responding.

"The angels are on one side only and that's their side. You're a fool if you can't see that." Lilith said.

"And who's side are you on?" Elena snapped.

She laughed, nodding at Elena.

"I'm not trying to get you over to my side, Elena. I'm trying to win. There's no better way for me to do that than to tell you the truth. The angels aren't as pure white and innocent as they would like to make you think. They have just as much blood on their hands as demons do and they'll have even more when this is all over. Even your precious Castiel will disappoint you. I'd be careful to trust them. I want nothing more for them to prove me right and trust me, they will."

"Right, I should trust you." Elena said, stepping away from the demon.

Lilith shrugged, stepping backwards as well.

"Trust me or don't. I don't care." The demon said, turning away.

In the next moment, she was gone and Elena was standing alone in the aisle. There was a sudden scream and she whirled around, running to the front of the grocery store. Every single cashier and customer were lying in puddles of their own blood. All of their eyes were staring out lifelessly. On the wall, a message was written in blood.

_Lucifer says hello_

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Especially the new scene at the end.**

**Next: When a strange call comes into one of John's old phones, Dean and Sam have to re-evaluate what they thought they knew about their father.**

**CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW**

**To TheElegantFaerie - **

**1. At this point, I'm planning on going through season eight but doing it a lot differently than it's done on the show.**

**2. I am very conflicted on who to pair everyone with. I am thinking about Caroline or Jo with Sam. But then I'm wondering if Jo could be with Castiel or even Gabriel. I'm thinking through a lot. But those are my sort of options. I'm also considering Meg for someone. I know she's kind of bad on the show but once again, her storyline might be a lot different in my stories.**


	25. Just Be Thankful You're Breathing

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! You're all amazing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Satan's Foot on My Neck – Brett Detar**

**1. There is going to be a surprise in this chapter! This chapter is going to be a lot different from the previous version so I would pay close attention if I were you.**

**2. I absolutely hate this chapter. I tried to make it different and I failed but I really didn't want to rewrite it and I don't have the saved draft from before. So we're all stuck with it. I am so sorry if you hate it too.**

**3. Elena's outfit is on my profile.**

**4. I really do hope you don't hate the chapter as much as I do. Please review!**

* * *

**Music: **

**Boom Boom – Big Head Todd & the Monsters (when Elena is fighting in the gas station)**

* * *

"Lilith?" Sam said, shocked.

Elena nodding, on the couch with her knees curled to her chest. They were all watching the news report about the grocery store massacre.

"How the hell did she find you?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know." She said, getting frustrated with the questions. "Maybe Ruby told her or something."

Dean's eyes flickered to Sam and he shook his head.

"No way. She wouldn't go anywhere near Lilith. She has a price on her head just like us." Sam argued.

Elena turned her head to glare at him.

"There are two demons who knew where Bobby's house is. One being Alastair and we all know what's happened to him. The other is your bed buddy. It's a process of elimination, Sam. I had a hex bag in my purse. Lilith couldn't have found me any other way."

Dean and Bobby remained quiet as Sam gritted his teeth and turned away. Elena huffed out a sigh, standing up.

"I'm going to Mystic Falls." She announced.

"What?" all three hunters questioned at once.

"If Lilith found me here, she might know about my friends and family. I'm going to make sure they're safe." Elena said.

Sam looked like he wanted to argue, knowing what she was insinuating. Elena had no way of knowing whether or not he'd told Ruby about her family's whereabouts. Dean stood up.

"We'll go with you."

Elena looked at him, nodding once.

"Thank you." she murmured.

* * *

An hour later, they were walking outside of Bobby's house. As they approached the car, they heard a ringing noise. Dean patted his pockets as Elena dug around in her purse and Sam looked around with a confused look. Dean went around to the trunk as Elena leaned into the passenger seat and opened the glove compartment where the ringing was coming from. She pulled a black flip phone out and stared at it, confused.

"Isn't that Dad's phone?" Sam said, looking at it with confusion.

They gestured for her to answer as they continued to put stuff in the trunk. She opened it hesitantly and pressed talk.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, can I talk to John?" a man on the other end asked, sounding as confused as she was.

Elena looked up at Sam and Dean for help.

"He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?" She asked.

"No no no… I really… I need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan. He knows me." the man said.

"Hold on for a second." She said, putting her hand over the phone.

"It's a guy named Adam Milligan, he wants to talk to your dad." She whispered so that he wouldn't hear her.

"Well, tell him that he's dead." Dean said simply.

"I don't want to deliver that kind of news." She said, frowning.

"Well, we're his sons, so we don't really want to say it out loud." Dean said, looking down at his hands.

"You just said it out loud!" Elena hissed, but knew that she already felt sorry for him so she had to do it.

"I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you… but John died more than two years ago." she said softly, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could.

There was a shocked silence for a moment and she could have sworn she heard a soft sob.

"Who is this?" she asked, feeling like something was out of place in this situation.

"I'm his son." The man said, causing Elena's eyes to widen and she pulled the phone away from her ear and held it out towards Dean and Sam.

"I think one of you are going to want to talk to him." she said quietly.

* * *

"I don't like it." Dean said.

Elena sighed, looking up at him.

"You have to go deal with… that." she said, referring to the phone call. "And I have to make sure that my family is safe. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dean shook his head, looking away.

"Can't you call?" he asked.

"And if they're possessed by demons? I can't exactly do an exorcism over the phone." Elena argued.

He took a deep breath.

"Take Bobby with you, at least."

Elena shook her head.

"You heard him, he's taking care of stuff for other hunters. He has to be here." She said.

"Can you at least wait until we see what the hell is going on with this Adam kid?" Dean asked desperately.

"Would you wait?" Elena fired back. "If it were Sam or Bobby or me, would you wait?"

His face told her everything she needed to know.

"I'll come to you as soon as I'm certain that they are all right." Elena said.

She leaned in, kissing him lightly before turning to the car that Bobby was allowing her to borrow.

"Elena." Dean said.

She turned back around and he handed her the demon-killing knife.

"Just in case." He said, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

Elena took it, nodding.

"Thank you." she murmured, grateful to him for more than one reason.

* * *

"Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real." Sam said, looking through a bunch of papers.

Dean slammed the trunk open and began digging around for weapons.

"Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout." His brother continued.

Dean pulled his gun out, loading it full of silver bullets before sticking it in the back of his jeans before sliding a knife into his jacket.

"Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin… biology major, pre-med." Dean closed the trunk and he sighed, looking over at him. "Dean? You listening?"

"This is a trap." He growled, turning to head into the restaurant.

* * *

Sam took a deep breath, shaking his head as he closed the folder.

"You sure you don't want me to send some back ups there for you? I know a couple who don't have a hunt going on right now." Bobby offered.

"I am fine." Elena said, reaching the tenth hour of her driving.

She only had eight to go and she was desperate to be in Mystic Falls right now. The others had suggested getting Castiel to hitch her a ride to her family but after what Lilith said, Elena really didn't want to add angels into this situation at the moment, especially not with what happened with Uriel and then meeting Zachariah.

"You're sure?" the hunter asked doubtfully.

"I can take care of myself, Bobby. Just worry about Sam and Dean if you need to. They're about to have their entire lives changed if this guy is really…"

Elena cut off, taking a deep breath.

"If he's really John's son, I would love to bring that man up from the grave to beat the hell out of him." Bobby growled.

She nodded, smiling slightly.

"You and me both." Elena agreed.

* * *

As soon as they sat down, Sam pulled out their father's journal.

"Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out." he said, opening it up.

"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him." Dean snapped, leaving no room for argument as he glared around.

A waitress approached the table with menus and glasses of water.

"Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's." Denise said, smiling at them.

"Thanks." Sam nodded at her.

"Can I…"

"We're actually waiting on somebody." Dean cut her off impatiently.

The waitress stared at him, annoyed at his tone. She slapped a menu in front of them before walking off. Sam shot Dean an incredulous look. His brother wasn't paying attention. He grabbed his glass, tossing the water into the potted plant behind them.

"What are you…"

Sam cut off when he pulled out a flask and unscrewed the top.

"Holy water?" he said.

"Yup." Dean nodded, filling the glass with it before setting it in front of the empty seat. "One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt."

"And what if he's not possessed?" Sam questioned.

Dean pulled out a silver knife and fork from his pocket.

"Then he is a shapeshifter." He said, switching it out for the cutlery that was already at the table.

"Hence the silver." Sam nodded, moving the journal closer to Dean.

"Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life." Dean snapped, looking furious.

Sam frowned at him and Dean glanced over.

"What?"

Sam looked away, shaking his head.

"What?" Dean repeated.

"Dean... listen. There's an entry in Dad's journal." He began, flipping through it. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born."

"Coincidence." He shrugged, looking away.

"Coincidence. Next two pages of the journal… torn out." Sam said, gesturing to them.

"You're not actually buying this, are you?" Dean scoffed.

Sam sighed, putting his elbows on the table.

"Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible." Sam picked the journal up, waving it. "I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk."

Dean looked away, not wanting to listen to what his brother was saying.

"I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl... sometimes the girl's grateful."

"Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking." Dean snapped.

"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie." Sam shrugged.

"Dude!"

At that moment, the door chimed. A young man with blonde hair and pale skin walked in. The brothers glanced up as the guy glanced around.

"Adam?" Sam called.

He looked over and he raised his hand, nodding at him.

"You Sam?" he asked as he approached.

Adam looked wary, glancing between them.

"Yeah. Uh, this is Dean." Sam nodded, gesturing to him.

"Hey." Adam said, setting his backpack on the ground before sitting down. "So, um... how did you know my dad?"

"Uh, we worked together." Sam lied quickly.

He looked confused, glancing between them.

"How did he die?"

"On the job." Sam answered.

"He was a mechanic, right?" Adam asked.

"A car fell on him." Dean said, using every ounce of control not to glare at him.

Denise came up, smiling at Adam.

"Hey, Adam. How you doing?" she asked, putting a glass in front of him.

Dean reached out, snagging it as Sam frowned.

"Oh, I'll take that. I am very thirsty." He said, taking a sip.

Denise eyed him, displeased at his behavior.

"The usual, Adam?" she asked, smiling at the younger man.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise." He nodded her, smiling back.

Denise left and Adam reached towards his water glass. The brothers watched with interest as he took a drink. Nothing happened and they both sat back.

"So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked.

"I don't even know. It's... a couple years." Adam answered.

Under the table, Dean withdrew his gun and aimed it at him.

"Why did you decide to call him now?"

"I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got." Adam said, glancing between them.

They both stared at him with confusion.

"My mom's missing."

"Really? I'm sorry." Sam said quietly. "Uh, for how long?"

"It's tragic, really. But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?" Dean said, interrupting the moment.

Sam glared over at him as Adam didn't notice anything.

"Cause John and me didn't really know each other. Not until a few years ago, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff." He said.

"What kind of stuff?" Dean questioned.

"My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family." Adam sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, who is these days?" Sam shrugged, thinking of their own unconventional family.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean asked.

"When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers, and after I begged her… God, twenty-four-seven, she finally called him. When John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night."

Denise put a plate in front of Adam as hurt flashes in both of the brothers' eyes.

"There you go." she said, patting his arm.

"Thanks." Adam nodded at her before she walked off. "You mind?"

"Please, dig in." Dean invited him.

Adam took the napkin out from underneath the silverware and spreaded it out on his lap. Dean cocked the gun as he did, waiting.

"He would swing by once a year or so." the young man said, picking up the knife and fork.

Nothing happened and Dean sat back, uncocking the gun and stowing it away.

"You know, called when he could. But still..." Adam took a bite and swallowed. "He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh...he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful '67 Impala…"

"Oh, this is crap. You know what, you're lying." Dean growled, unwilling to put up with it anymore.

Adam looked shocked, staring at him.

"No, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah, you are." He fired back.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?" Adam demanded, getting angry.

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who." Dean indicated himself and Sam. "We are his sons."

Adam stared at them with wide eyes.

"I've got brothers?" he breathed.

"No, you don't have brothers. Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here." Dean snapped.

"I have never been hunting in my life." Adam said defensively.

"Whatever. I'm out of here. Come on, Sam." Dean said, standing up to leave.

When he walked past, Adam jumped up as well.

"I can prove it."

* * *

Elena glanced in the rearview mirror hesitantly, biting her lip.

"Elena?" Dean said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. What?" she said, shaking her head.

"I said Sam told the damn kid everything. They're at the motel talking it out now."

"Everything?" Elena said, shocked.

"His defense is that Adam was going to keep questioning how we knew something got his mom and why we avoided the cops when we found the blood at their house." Dean sighed, sounding frustrated. "There's a guy who was taken before Kate Milligan. He was sheriff of the police force when Dad was here working the job. I think he helped cover whatever happened up and that's why he's a target."

Elena glanced in the rearview mirror once again.

"So I'll just meet you back at Bobby's, then?" she asked.

"Yeah, you'll get to meet him. I'm sure you two will get along. He's stubborn as hell and damn pushy." Dean sighed.

"Sounds like a Winchester to me." Elena said.

Dean let out an annoyed huff.

"I should get back to the motel and see what's going on. Let me know when you get into Mystic Falls."

"Yeah." Elena nodded. "Be safe."

"You too." Dean answered before hanging up.

Elena quickly dialed another number, her hands shaking slightly as she did so.

"Hello?" Bobby's voice came over the phone.

"Bobby, I'm being followed." She said, staring at the car that had been behind her for the past four hours. "I think it's demons."

* * *

Sam watched as Adam practiced disassembling and reassembling the handgun.

"Sam..." he sighed, glancing up. "… how did Dad really die?"

Sam hesitated before nodding at him.

"Demon."

"You hunted it down? Got revenge?" Adam asked, looking interested.

"Dean killed it." he confirmed.

"So it's over for you." he said, looking confused.

Sam shook his head.

"It's never over."

Before Adam could say another word, the lights went out and they heard something rattle.

"What the…" he began.

Sam shushed him, standing up.

"Stay here." He hissed, grabbing a loaded shotgun before heading to the door.

He opened it up and looked around, aiming the shotgun at the darkness. A noise sounded behind him and he turned to the room, aiming. When he heard it again, he looked up and felt a cold feeling down his spine.

"It's in the vents. Go!" he yelled.

Adam ran out of the room as he fired at the vent. Sam followed closely behind, running towards the parking lot.

"Where's your car?" he demanded.

"Over here." Adam said, bolting towards a light blue truck.

"All right, keys." Sam said.

Adam tossed them to him. As he fumbled with them, something suddenly grabbed his ankle, yanking him to the ground. When it tried to drag him under the truck, he grabbed onto the bottom of it.

"Sam!" Adam yelled.

Just as he seized his arm, the Impala pulled up.

"Dean, help!" Adam shouted.

Dean took his other arm once he jumped out and they pulled as hard as they could, yanking him free. Once Sam out of harm's way, he grabbed the fallen shotgun and fired under the truck. Nothing happened. Dean looked at Sam with shock as Adam collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and looking panicked.

* * *

"Bobby, what do I do?" Elena said.

"How many are there?" he asked.

"Three that I can see."

"Don't stop unless you absolutely have to. If you do, make sure it's in a public place. Even then it'll be spotty. They're counting on you leading them to your family and friends so you cannot go to Mystic Falls no matter what. Lilith knew you'd break for them."

She shook her head, gripping the steering wheel.

"I should have listened to Dean." She whispered.

"No time for that. Head to Richmond."

"Richmond?" Elena asked, questioning.

"Just do it. Remember, do not stop. How are you on gas?"

"I have half a tank." Elena said, glancing at the meter.

Bobby took a deep breath, nodding.

"That should get you there. When you pull into Richmond, call me."

"Okay." Elena said, glancing at the demons that were behind her. "Thanks, Bobby."

"That's why I'm here." The hunter answered before hanging up.

* * *

"Grab your stuff. We'll hit the road." Dean said as soon as they walked into Adam's house.

Adam flipped on the lights before running upstairs.

"We shouldn't leave." Sam said, lifting his injured ankle onto another chair once he sat down.

"Yeah, let's stay here, where the kid's mom got ganked. Good one." Dean snapped, looking at his phone.

"I'm serious." He argued.

"No, Sam, we're gonna take the kid, we're gonna drop him off at Bobby's, and then you and me are gonna come back here and finish what Dad started." Dean argued.

"How? We got no leads, no witnesses. We do have what this thing wants." Sam said.

"You want to use the kid as bait? That's why you want to stay here?" Dean demanded, momentarily forgetting about the fact that Elena hadn't called even though she should have been in Mystic Falls.

"Maybe this thing will come back. We could train Adam… get him ready." Sam suggested.

Dean stared at him with disbelief.

"He could die, Sam."

"We could all die, Dean. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us." Sam reminded him. "What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?"

Adam returned, one backpack over his shoulder. He obviously heard everything by the look on his face.

"I'll do it. Whatever it takes, I'll do it. I want to do it."

* * *

"You're there?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah." Elena answered, trying not to glance back at the cars that were following her through Richmond. "What now?"

"Head out on the same highway you came in on. Ten miles out, there's a gas station that looks abandoned. Go there and go inside." the hunter instructed.

Elena paused, frowning at his words.

"You want me to stop at an abandoned gas station when I have three demons on my ass?" Elena said, wondering what the hell he was trying to do.

"I said it looks abandoned. Not that it is." Bobby replied. "Trust me."

She took a deep breath, nodding.

"I do trust you." Elena said, continuing on the highway to drive out of Richmond.

* * *

Dean watched by the Impala as Sam taught Adam how to shoot. All of this was against his better judgement but Adam insisted.

"It's easy. Just feel the recoil and time the trigger pulls. Three taps." Sam said, nodding at the target he made for the kid.

He held out the gun to Adam, who took it with surprise.

"Go ahead."

Adam moved in front of Sam, aiming at the metal sign. He fired three times and they heard the sound of them all hitting the sign. Two of them were inside the inner ring. Sam grinned as Dean shook his head and looked away.

"Beginner's luck, right?" Adam asked, beaming over at Sam.

"Nah, man. You're a natural. Good shooting." Sam praised, clapping him on the back.

"Thanks." Adam said, looking thrilled.

* * *

Elena maneuvered into the gas station, trying her best not to pay attention when not one, but two cars pulled in behind her. She reached over, grabbing her purse that held the demon-killing knife.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Bobby." She said quietly, turning the car off before climbing out.

Elena walked to the door, ignoring the demons getting out of their own cars behind her. They must have figured something out by now. When she opened it, the door chimed but no one was in the store.

"What the hell?" she whispered, walking further in.

The door opened again and she turned to see five demons walking into the convenience store. Their eyes all flicked black and one of them grinned at her.

"Lilith sends her regards. She says the blood of those people in the market tasted so sweet. She owes you for such a great meal."

Elena nodded, pulling the knife out of her purse before dropping it on the floor.

"You can let her know I'll be collecting on that debt." She said, kicking her purse to the side.

Suddenly she heard the sound of a shotgun cocking behind her.

"Duck!" a voice rang out.

Elena didn't hesitate, dropping to her knees and covering her head. Gunfire rang out and she looked up to see all the demons crumpling, salt rounds filling their meatsuits. Elena darted to the side, looking around in time to see a blonde female vaulting over the counter to stand at the door with her own shotgun. When the demons turned, she shot at them too. The gunfire suddenly stopped and Elena looked around to see an older female standing behind a rack of bread with a shotgun of her own.

"Three bitches?" one of the demons taunted as they slowly got over the onslaught of salt. "That's who they hope to take us out?"

Elena glanced at the brunette and, without saying a word, the stranger nodded at her. The younger blonde suddenly kicked something and buckets that were hooked into the ceiling all fell onto the demons. They screamed as holy water poured over them. Elena took the chance, darting forward. Suddenly, she felt instincts taking over her. The knife twirled in her hand and she stabbed the first one in the chest easily. The others were still recovering from the water when she slit another demon's throat.

"Here!" the blonde yelled.

Elena turned, tossing her the knife effortlessly. The other female caught it, burying it in a demon's heart. Elena grabbed the only female demon, holding her up so that the hunter could stab her as well. Elena ripped the dagger out of her heart before throwing the last demon to the ground. She held the knife to his throat and glared down at him.

"Are there any more of you?" she demanded.

"Lilith is going to skin you." he growled.

Elena shook her head, stabbing the dagger into his throat. He flashed and gurgled before the life drained from him. When she stood, the other two females were staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"Bobby said you were good… but he didn't say that good."

Elena took a deep breath, pulling the knife from the demon's throat before wiping it off on his clothing.

"Elena Gilbert." She said, holding out her hand.

"I'm Ellen Harvelle. That's my daughter, Jo." The brunette nodded, shaking her hand.

"Hey." Jo said, smiling at her. "I can see why the boys keeps you around now."

"You've heard of me?" Elena asked, shocked.

Ellen laughed and nodded, seeming strangely cheerful after fighting five demons.

"Bobby's mentioned you a few times. The girl who rides around with the Winchesters and saves their asses."

She smiled slightly.

"I bet that's a full time job." Jo said, rolling her eyes.

"You have no idea." She sighed, shaking her head. "Thank you for helping me. I have to go but…"

"You can't go to your family." Ellen said, her smile disappearing. "Bobby told us everything and they may just have more demons looking out for you."

Elena's heart sank.

"I have to make sure they're all right." she argued.

"Leave that to us." Jo said, looking at her with sympathy. "Let us know where to go and we'll make sure that everyone is okay. We'll have them call you."

"You need to get back to those boys. I'd bet they'll be needing you any minute now." Ellen said.

Elena stared at them with confusion as they began packing up.

"Why are you doing this? You don't know me or my family." She said, unable to understand.

The women both glanced up, sharing a look.

"We're hunters, Elena." Ellen said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Hunters are family."

* * *

"You're on your way back, already?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, there was nothing." Elena said, hurtling down the road. "I'll be in Sioux Falls in about ten hours."

Dean sighed, shaking his head as he glanced over at Sam and Adam where they were talking about different monsters and how to kill them.

"We're not in Sioux Falls." He said.

"What?" Elena demanded.

"Adam wants to fight this thing with us. We're still here."

She shook her head, closing her eyes.

"I won't be there for at least another day, Dean." She said through gritted teeth.

"We'll be fine." He said.

"Whatever this thing is after anyone who is connected to your father. You don't think it'll try to get you too? It's not just Adam that the creature is after." She argued.

"We'll be fine. We've dealt with worse. Just get here when you can get here." Dean said, sounding distracted. "I have to go."

"Dean, wait…"

The dial tone sounded and Elena made a noise of frustration. She turned to throw her phone into the seat but shrieked when she saw someone sitting there.

* * *

"This is some job you got, man." Adam sighed, sitting back.

"Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam. It's life." Sam said, shaking his head. "You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends?"

Adam nodded, staring at him.

"Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed."

Dean frowned at him across the room, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"That's the price we pay. You cut 'em out, and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family." Sam said.

"I thought Dean had a girlfriend." Adam said, looking over at him. "That's who answered the phone, right?"

"She's a hunter and part of the life. She's part of the family." The middle brother said.

"Sam." Dean said, having enough. "Can I talk to you?"

They walked out, standing in the living room.

"What the hell was that?" he hissed.

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Hunting is life. You can't have connections. Dad gave you that exact same speech, remember? It was just before you ditched us for Stanford. You hated Dad for saying that stuff, and now you're quoting him?" Dean demanded.

Sam shrugged, sighing.

"Yeah, well, turns out Dad was right."

"Since when?" Dean snapped.

"Since always." Sam said defensively. "Dean, when I look at Adam, you know what I see?"

Dean stared at him for a moment.

"A normal kid." He answered.

"No. Meat. Because the demons and monsters out there, that's all he is." Sam pointed out. "I hated Dad for a long time. I did. But now I think I understand. So we didn't have a dog and a white picket fence. So what? Dad did right by us. He taught us how to protect ourselves. Adam deserves the same."

"Listen to yourself, man." Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"You think I'm wrong?" he demanded.

"I think it's too late for us. This is our life. This is who we are, okay? And it's fine. I accept that. But with Adam, he's still got a chance, man. He can go to school. He could be a doctor." Dean argued.

"What makes Adam so special?" Sam questioned.

Dean raised his eyebrows before stepping away.

"What, are you jealous of the kid?"

"Are you?" Sam fired back.

They both remained silent for a moment.

"Dean... all this... it's not real. The dad Adam knew… he wasn't real." Sam said quietly. "The things out there in the shadows… they are real. The world is coming to an end. That's real. Everything else is just part of the crap people tell themselves to get through the day."

"Dad didn't have a choice with us, okay? But with Adam, he did. Adam doesn't have to be cursed." Dean growled.

"He's a Winchester. He's already cursed." Sam said.

Dean shook his head, stepping away.

"No. No, whatever's hunting Adam, I'm gonna find it."

"You already looked everywhere, Dean." Sam argued.

"Well, then I'll look again." He said, turning to walk out the door.

* * *

"You really shouldn't pop up out of nowhere when people are driving." Elena ranted, putting her hand to her racing heart.

"My apologies." Castiel said.

There was silence and she glanced over at him warily.

"Let me have it." she said.

"What?" the angel asked, confused.

"The lecture on staying with Dean and Sam. Tell me how I'm neglecting my guardian duties." Elena said, sighing.

Castiel stared at her for a moment before glancing out the window.

"We heard of Lilith's visit to Mystic Falls. I knew that your next move would be to ensure your family's safety." He said.

Elena looked at the road, frowning.

"Did you know the demons were following me?" she demanded.

He nodded.

"I also knew that there were hunters moving to help you with them. Sometimes, it does not take the help of angels to ensure that you win a fight. Hunters have been doing it for a long time without us." Castiel informed her.

Elena couldn't even bring herself to argue, shaking her head. When her phone rang, she sighed and moved to answer it.

"Sam?" she said.

"When are you getting here? Dean just went off by himself and I don't know where he is." He said quickly.

"Why did you let him go off by himself?" she argued.

"He wanted to figure out what the hell is hunting Adam."

Elena shook her head, wanting to scream.

"Hunting you, Sam! You are all connected to John and you are all targets of this thing! You need to stay together until I get there! Go and find…"

"Adam?" Sam called. "Adam get away from her!"

"Sam?" Elena questioned.

The line suddenly went dead. Just as it did, Elena felt a shot of pain threw her head.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled, swerving on the road.

Castiel looked at her with wide eyes as she slammed to a stop on the side of the highway and put the car in park.

"Elena?" he said.

"They're in danger." She breathed, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Castiel nodded, reaching towards her. In the next moment, the car was parked on the side of an entirely different street. Elena looked around wildly.

"Where…"

"Dean is somewhere here." Castiel said, wincing as they climbed out. "I'm being called up. There is a seal."

"Go." Elena said, grabbing her gun and the knife before running into the cemetery where they'd landed.

* * *

"It took me, but I got away." Kate said, reaching towards Adam.

"It's okay." He said, running towards her.

"I got away." She sobbed.

They hugged as Sam aimed the shotgun.

"Adam, step away from her." he said, glaring at the person who was not Kate Milligan.

"Sam, what the hell?" he demanded, staring at him in shock.

Sam shook his head, cocking the shotgun.

"She's not your mother!"

"What is going on?" 'Kate' asked.

"You listen to me." Sam began.

"It's really her, okay?" Adam said, stepping towards him.

"There was too much blood. Your mother's dead." He said, shaking his head.

He shoved Adam away from her and the younger male took the shotgun, pointing it at Sam.

"Adam!" 'Kate' yelled.

"Shoot it!" Sam urged, his hands raised in surrender.

"He's crazy! Honey, it's me!"

Adam pointed the gun at his mother before aiming it back at Sam. Confusion and terror were clear on his face as he tried to decide what to do.

"Look, that's not your mother!" Sam said, trying to get him to believe him.

"Baby, please!" she pleaded.

"Shoot it! It's not human!" he yelled.

Adam leveled the gun at 'Kate' and suddenly smirked.

"I know."

He whirled around and slammed the butt of the gun into Sam's head.

* * *

Sam's eyes fluttered open and he immediately found himself tied down to a table. He looked around to see 'Kate' standing there humming and picking at her nails with a knife.

"Silver. No wonder none of the tests worked. You're not shapeshifters. You're ghouls." He said, glaring at her.

"You know, I find that term racist." She said, waving her knife to emphasize her point before sniffing him from hand to neck and nibbling on his ear.

"Mmm. Fresh meat. So much better than what we're used to." She murmured, sounding overjoyed.

"I should have known. It was the fresh kills that threw me. Ghouls don't usually go after the living. See, you're just filthy scavengers, feeding off the dead… taking the form of the last corpse you choke down."

"And their thoughts. And their memories. Like Adam, for instance." 'Adam' said, walking in with a smirk.

"Well, we are what we eat." 'Kate' said, smiling deviously.

"You're monsters." Sam snapped.

'Kate' drew the knife across his arm and the blood began to leak out.

"You know, you use that word a lot, Sam." 'Adam' said as she began to drink his blood.

He threw his own knife on the table by Sam's head.

"But I don't think you know what it means." He said.

"His blood, it tastes different." 'Kate' marveled as her head lifted.

"Our father was a monster? Why? Because of what he ate? He never hurt anyone, Sam. Living, anyway." 'Adam' said.

The female ghoul pulled the knife free.

"No. He was no monster. But the thing that killed him was. A monster named John Winchester." She said, glaring at Sam who looked back at her.

* * *

"Dean?" Elena yelled, staring around wildly.

There was no answer. When she heard broken glass, she lifted her head and ran around to a crypt. Dean fell through a window, gasping and covered in dirt.

"Dean!" she cried, running forward to check him for injuries.

"Elena." he gasped out as she helped him up. "How are you here?"

"It doesn't matter. Are you ok? Broken anything?" she questioned, looking up at his dirt-smudged face.

"I'm fine. We have to get to Sam." He said, grabbing her hand and dragging her along.

"Why?" she asked, wide-eyed as they ran to the Impala.

"Because I just found Adam's body in there." he replied, causing her blood to run cold.

* * *

Sam winced, crying out in pain as 'Adam' dug a finger into a stab wound in his side.

"Thanks to your daddy, my brother and I grew up on our own. At least we had each other." 'Kate' said, smirking at Sam as the ghoul in Adam's form licked his finger.

"Like you and your brother. Inseparable." 'Adam' said.

"Actually, it was very hard to get you on your own."

"Like you said, Sam, the only thing you can count on is family." 'Adam' said.

"And for twenty years, we lived like rats." 'Kate' said, licking more blood from his arm.

"Graveyard after graveyard, all that stinking flesh." 'Adam' said.

"Then we thought, hey, why not move up to fresher game?"

"And we knew just where to start." 'Adam' said, digging the point of the knife into the cut on Sam's arm, making him grunt in pain.

"Revenge… it's never over, is it, Sam?" he asked, smirking down at him.

"First, it was John's cop friend, and then his slut, and then his son." 'Kate' shrugged.

"Then I called John, but the son of a bitch was already dead." 'Adam' said.

"So I guess you and Dean will have to do instead." 'Kate' said.

"Dean won't interrupt us this time. We're gonna feed on you nice and slow… like we did with Adam."

"Oh, and, by the way, he really was your brother." 'Kate' informed Sam as he struggled.

"You should know that." she said.

"He was still alive when we took our first bites." 'Adam' said.

"And he was a screamer." 'Kate' said gleefully.

They each opened gashes on Sam's wrists and he began to bleed into two bowls that were in place to catch the blood.

"Sam, the more you struggle, the faster you're gonna bleed out." 'Adam' berated him. "So you might as well lie back and relax."

"Hey!" Dean shouted as him and Elena ran into the room, both holding guns.

He fired on 'Adam', hitting his shoulder and throwing him through the wall, before he chase after him.

"Dean, they're ghouls!" Sam shouted.

Dean paused and then nodded, turning to Elena.

"Which means head-shot." He said and she nodded, turning to 'Kate' as she raised her gun.

The gunfire ripped through the air and blood spattered on the wall, as the headless form of the ghoul who took Kate Milligan's form fell to the ground.

'Adam' ran back and tackled Dean.

"Help Sam!" Dean growled as he grabbed Adam and flipped them over, taking a metal bar from his jacket and attempting to slam it into the ghoul's head.

Elena ran to Sam and pulled her knife out of her boot, sawing at the ropes as he twisted and grunted in pain and the blood continued to pour out of his wounds.

"Stay still. You're making it worse." She instructed, finishing one hand and moving onto the other.

When he was untied, she chanced a glance at Dean to see him bashing the ghoul's head in with the metal bar. Sam let out a cry of pain as he tried to sit up.

"Come on. Hang on." she said, climbing up onto the table beside him as she helped him to a sitting position.

She placed her hands over his wounds, closing her eyes and concentrating as the blood ran over her hands. She felt the warmth flowing through them both but felt something else as well. Something was wrong with him. The blood that was on her skin felt as though it was too thick. She shuddered and pulled away, opening her eyes to find that he was healed and breathing heavily, looking exhausted. Dean ran over to check on them both.

"Thank you." Sam said to them, looking between the two.

"That's what family's for, right?" Dean said.

Elena looked up at Sam to see him shifting his eyes away from them.

"Yeah, that's what family's for." She agreed.

* * *

"You sure we should do this?" Sam asked as Dean opened a bottle of lighter fluid.

Elena looked down at the body, wrapped in sheets, that was lying on a funeral pyre.

"Ghouls didn't fake those pictures. They didn't fake Dad's journal." Dean said, sprinkling the fluid over Adam's body. "Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one."

"Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor." Sam suggested.

"No, Adam's in a better place." Dean refused, lighting a match and tossing it on the pyre.

Elena stood between them, watching as the body burned. She felt bad for these brothers. Because even if they wouldn't admit it, they were happy to have found Adam and the fact that he turned out to be dead already hurt them more than they would ever say. She reached out and slowly took both of their hands, staring solemnly at the flames.

"You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person." Dean said, making both Sam and Elena look over at him. "I mean, I worshipped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Sam said after a few moments of silence.

"You take it any way you want." Dean sighed carelessly, his hand clutching Elena's as she looked up at him with a sad face.

* * *

Elena sighed with relief when she heard her brother's voice on the other end.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked, pacing the small bedroom.

"We're fine. Is everything all right there?"

She glanced at the bed where Dean was sitting on the edge with his head hung low and his hands in his lap.

"Yeah." Elena lied, nodding. "Tell Ellen and Jo thank you again. Buy them dinner or something."

"Will do." Jeremy agreed. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." She agreed. "Love you."

As soon as they hung up, she went to sit beside Dean.

"It shouldn't have happened to him." he muttered.

"I know." Elena sighed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

He shook his head, looking up at her.

"I'm sorry, I should have known about the demons. I shouldn't have let you go off on your own."

She quieted him with a finger on his lips.

"Stop blaming yourself for everything, Dean." Elena said, stroking her fingers on his cheek. "You can't have known about Adam and you can't have known that Lilith was having me followed to get to my family. Not everything is your fault. You can't save everyone even though I know how much you want to."

Dean's eyes filled with tears and he let his head fall to her shoulder.

"What about Sam?" he whispered.

Elena pressed a kiss to his head.

"We'll save him." she said. "I don't know what from and I don't know how we'll do it, but we will."

* * *

**I hope you didn't hate it too much. Please be nicer to me in the reviews than I am to myself. I apologize for the horrible state of this chapter. Please forgive me.**

**Next: When Castiel comes to Dean in a dream, they race to find him only to discover someone they never expected to meet.**


	26. Bad Turns to Worse

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, Dean Winchester Rocks, Nyssandria, animagirl, beverlie4055, xxPaige23xx, Kaylee100, TheElegantFaerie, JMHUW, and Malinda for reviewing! **

**CHAPTER TITLE: Godspeed - Anberlin**

**A few things:**

**1. Ellen and Jo in the last chapter was a new thing. They weren't in this part of the story at all last time.**

**2. WE ONLY HAVE TWO CHAPTERS LEFT IN THIS STORY. I just wanted to warn you.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

_Dean leaned his head back slowly, relishing in the warm sun on his face as he sat on the dock, his fishing pole in his hands. When he heard bare feet slapping against the wood behind him, his eyes opened to see Elena run past him. He smiled when he saw her in a lace swimsuit cover up that quickly came off to reveal a black two piece swimsuit. She turned back and winked at him before diving into the warm water. When she surfaced, she grinned up at him._

"_You're going to chase all the fish away!" he said, half complaining._

"_You were gonna throw them back in, anyways." She said, shrugging as she turned to stroke lazily through the water, her skin glimmering underneath the water._

_Dean found himself watching her instead of concentrating on anything to do with fishing. When he heard the flutter of wings, his smile dropped._

"_We need to talk." Castiel said, standing beside him._

_Elena didn't even look up to acknowledge that Castiel was there so Dean instinctively knew something was different._

"_I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he asked._

_Cas nodded before looking out at the water._

"_It's not safe here. Someplace more private." He said._

"_More private? We're inside my head." Dean scoffed._

"_Exactly. Someone could be listening." The angel said._

"_Cas, what's wrong?" Dean asked, looking up at him with a worried expression._

"_Meet me here." He said, handing him a piece of paper. "Go now." _

_Dean looked up and Cas was gone. He sighed and looked out down at the paper, memorizing the address before looking out at Elena, who was swimming back to the dock. She lifted herself up onto the wooden platform, droplets sliding down her toned body, standing up and ringing her hair out._

"_I lov…" she began with a grin._

* * *

Dean woke up with a gasp, starting as he stared up into the darkness. Elena sat up next to him, looking down with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

He looked at her and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them.

"We have to go." he mumbled, sitting up and causing her to lean away slightly.

"Why?" she asked.

"I think Cas is in trouble. He was in my dream and asked us to meet him at an address. It's a few towns over." Dean said, looking over at her.

"Okay." She said, sighing as she slid out of bed and walked over to Sam to shake him awake.

They all got up and took turns in the bathroom, changing clothes and getting their stuff together. Elena elected to remain in a comfortable outfit since it was the middle of the night. Sam and Dean were in their normal clothing. Her hair was thrown up into a ponytail. Thirty minutes later they were heading out of town.

* * *

When they arrived at the warehouse, Elena walked a few steps behind Dean and Sam yawning as she held a handgun. She stopped and stretched, having fallen asleep in the car and desperately needing to wake herself up fully. The brothers stopped and turned around, staring at her warily.

"Should we take the gun away from you so that you don't accidentally shoot us?" Dean asked hesitantly.

"Nah." She shook her head, smiling at him as she gestured for them to walk once again.

"What did he say, Dean? What was so important?" Sam asked.

"If I knew, would I be here?" Dean fired back as they began to walk up a pair of stairs.

The brothers had been tense with each other ever since burning Adam's body. Elena would usually try to step in and diffuse the tension but she was distracted at the moment.

"What the hell?" she muttered, looking around at the mostly destroyed warehouse.

Sparks were going off everywhere and it looked like something bad went down.

"It looks like a bomb went off." Sam said.

"There was a fight here." Dean acknowledged.

"Between who?" Sam wondered.

Elena looked up at the wall as Dean's flashlight shined on it.

"Hey." She pulled him back and had him shine it on the wall again.

"Check it out. Look familiar?" Dean asked, looking at the Sam.

"Yeah, it does." Sam nodded, looking up at the angel-banishing sigil painted in scarlet blood.

"Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield." Dean nodded.

"So, what? Cas was fighting angels?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged as they turned to continue looking around.

Dean started forward and his eyes widened at something.

"Cas? Cas. Hey, Cas?" he said as they all recognized his figure lying on some of the rubble.

He groaned and his eyes fluttered open.

"What's… what's… what's going on?" he said.

His voice sounded different.

"Just take it easy. Take it easy." Dean said as he stood, looking around wildly as he turned in circles.

"Oh. No." he said, his eyes wide.

"Cas, you okay?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Castiel." He said, looking up with wide eyes. "I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who's 'me'?" Elena questioned.

"Jimmy. My name's Jimmy." He sighed, pressing a hand to his head.

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean demanded, trying and failing not to sound frustrated.

"He's gone." Jimmy said, looking between all of them.

* * *

They all watched with wide eyes as they sat at a table in the motel room and Jimmy ate quickly, downing two burgers and moving onto another one.

"You mind slowing down? You're going to give me angina." Dean said, sounding almost pained.

"I'm hungry." Jimmy said defensively.

Elena shifted uncomfortably. She was used to looking into that face and seeing wisdom and acknowledgment. She was used to feeling comfortable around him. This man in front of them… he was a stranger. She, sadly enough, found herself wishing that Castiel would repossess this poor man.

"When's the last time you ate?" Sam asked, looking at him sympathetically.

"I don't know. Months." He sighed, taking another bite as he continued to eat ravenously.

"What the hell happened back there? It looked like an angel battle royale." Sam asked.

"All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh… I woke up and I was just, you know, like, me again." He shrugged, looking at them.

"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean asked.

"I really don't know." Jimmy said, shaking his head.

"You remember anything about being possessed? Anything at all?" Elena asked, avoiding looking in his eyes as she asked the question.

"Yeah, bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's kind of like being chained to a comet." Jimmy said, shuddering slightly.

"Ah, that doesn't sound like much fun." Dean said, grimacing.

"Understatement." He nodded.

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something. Please tell me you remember that." Sam said pleadingly.

"Sorry." Jimmy said, sounding regretful.

"Come on, what do you know?" Dean urged him, sounding a bit desperate.

"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois." He answered. "I have a family."

Elena sighed and stood, looking down at him.

"I'm sorry you got taken away from your family." She said, needing to say that so that she could assuage some of the guilt that she was feeling over wanting Castiel to come back.

"It was my choice. I said yes to Castiel." Jimmy said, looking up at her.

She bit her lip and looked at Sam and Dean.

"I need air." She said simply, turning to walk out of the motel room.

* * *

Elena leaned against the Impala watching Sam and Dean as they walked out several minutes later.

"You all right?" Dean asked.

She shrugged, looking down at her shoes.

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean? The guy's got a family. We buy him a bus ticket, send him home." Dean said.

"I don't know about that. Dean, he's the only lead we got." Sam said.

"He doesn't know anything." Elena sighed, looking up at them.

"Are you one hundred percent about that?" Sam asked.

Dean and Elena looked up at him with matching incredulous expressions.

"You think he's lying? What, you wanna go Guantanamo on the guy?" Dean demanded.

"Dean, maybe he doesn't even know what he knows." He shrugged.

"Huh?" Dean asked, confused at what Sam meant.

"I say, at least we get him to Bobby's. Maybe all he needs is hypnosis or a psychic. Or hell, maybe Cas will just drop back into him." Sam suggested.

"I don't know, man." Dean said, looking back at the motel where they could see Jimmy's shadow pacing.

"Dean, back there, that was angel-on-angel violence. Now, I don't know what's going on, but it's big. And we can't just let the only lead we got just skip out." Sam said, gesturing with his hands.

Dean shook his head, looking down.

"What?" Sam demanded.

"You remember when our job was helping people? Like, getting them back to their families?" Dean questioned him.

"You think I don't want to help him? I'm just being realistic. I mean, hell, we're doing him a favor." Sam shrugged.

"How?" Dean demanded.

"Dean, Sam has a point. If we want to know what he knows, you can damn well bet the demons do, too." Elena said, hating that she was having to say it.

Dean looked at her and nodded slowly, sighing in defeat.

* * *

"The hell are you talking about, I can't go home?" Jimmy demanded, glaring between all of them.

"There's a good chance you have a bulls eye on your back." Dean explained.

"What? From who?" he asked skeptically.

"Demons." Elena answered.

"Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?" the man scoffed.

"I don't know, information, maybe?" Dean said, looking back at Sam who was sitting in a chair.

"I don't know anything!" he exclaimed.

"I know, but…" Dean said, sounding annoyed with the man and with the situation that they were in.

"Look, I'm done, okay? With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home." Jimmy said.

"We understand." Dean sighed.

"I don't think that you do understand. I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?" Jimmy said.

"Look, all we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us." Sam suggested.

"How long?" he demanded after a moment.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Sam shrugged.

Jimmy shook his head in refusal, moving to walk past Sam to go to the door.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked, turning around.

"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy snapped, looking up at Sam in frustration when he stopped him.

"No, you're not. You're just going to put those people in danger." Sam said.

"So, what, now I'm a prisoner?" he questioned, looking back at them.

"Harsh way to put it." Sam shrugged.

* * *

That night, Elena and Dean were shaken awake too early for the second night in a row, both of them groaning and swatting Sam's hands away.

"You have to get up." Sam said desperately.

"What the hell?" Dean demanded.

"Jimmy's gone." He said, making both of them sit up and stare at him.

"You've got to be kidding me." Elena sighed.

Dean just shook his head and chuckled.

"Looks like we're off… again." He said.

"No, this time I'm taking a shower. We know where he's going so it won't be hard to find him." Elena snapped, pushing herself out of bed and stomping to the bathroom.

"I'm with her." Dean shrugged, hurrying into the bathroom behind her.

* * *

"Dean. Would you hurry up?" Sam demanded from out in the room as Dean and Elena got ready in front of the mirror.

Elena was finishing up her make-up and hair as he brushed his teeth. They looked at each other and she smirked as she straightened her skirt and sweater.

"Why don't you have to hurry up?" he whispered.

"Because Sam knows I could kick his ass if he suggested it." she whispered back, turning to walk out of the bathroom with him following her.

When they caught sight of Sam's panicked face, both of them laughed.

"Sorry, uh, this is funny to you?" Sam asked, mainly talking to Dean.

"Mr. Big-Bad-Prison-Guard, Jimmy McMook give you the slip? Yeah, it's pretty funny." Dean nodded, grinning.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Elena asked suspiciously as she pulled her high heeled boots on.

"I was getting a Coke." Sam said, his eyes shifting slightly.

"Was it a refreshing Coke?" Dean asked, taunting him some more as Elena's eyes narrowed at the younger brother.

She knew that he was lying.

"Can we just go, please?" Sam sighed, tired of being made fun of.

"I think I'm ready now." Elena shrugged as she picked up her purse and bag.

"Yeah I think we can go." Dean nodded, picking up his duffle bag.

* * *

Dean and Sam were sitting in the front seat and Elena was sitting the back. She felt the presence appear next to her but didn't have time to warn Dean and Sam before the angel spoke.

"Hey, guys." Anna said.

They both yelled out in surprise, Dean jerking the steering wheel.

"Jeez!" Dean exclaimed as the Impala swerved before he got it back under control again.

"Smooth." The redhead sighed.

"You ever try calling ahead?" Dean demanded as Elena stared at her with wide eyes.

"I like the element of surprise." Anna shrugged. "Hey Elena."

"Hi, Anna." Elena said, shifting uncomfortably.

"You let Jimmy go?" she demanded, looking up at the brothers.

"Talk to ginormo here." Dean said, cocking his head to Sam.

The angel's eyes flickered to him and she frowned.

"Sam. You seem different." Anna said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Me? I don't know. A haircut?" Sam said nervously.

"That's not what I'm talking about." She cut him off, giving him a meaningful look before he looked out the passenger window.

Elena watched their exchange with close attention.

"So, what'd Jimmy tell you? He remember anything?" She asked.

"Why? What's going on?" Elena asked.

"It's Castiel. He got sent back home. Well, more like dragged back." Anna explained.

"To heaven? That's not a good thing?" Dean questioned.

"No. That's a very bad thing. Painfully, awfully bad. He must have seriously pissed someone off." she informed them.

"Cas said he had something to tell us. Something important." he told the angel.

"What?" Anna asked.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged.

"Does Jimmy know?"

"I don't think so." he said.

"You don't think so? Whatever it is, it's huge. You have to find out for sure." Anna urged them.

"That's why we're going after Jimmy." Sam said.

"That's why you shouldn't have let him go in the first place. He's probably dead already." She sighed, making them all look at her.

"Well aren't you a big ball of sunshine?" Elena grumbled, turning to look out the window.

She was in a bad mood. Cas was nowhere to be found and it was possible that he was being punished in heaven. They'd lost Jimmy because Sam was off doing God, and apparently Anna, knows what.

* * *

When they stopped for gas, Elena watched as Sam jumped out and ran inside, claiming that he was looking for gum. She squinted into the store as he pulled out his phone and ran to the corner.

"I'm going to go inside too." She announced, walking away from the car.

She walked into the store, going to the aisle behind Sam where he had his back turned.

"Where the hell are you, Ruby? This isn't funny anymore. I'm all out. Stop whatever you're doing. Call me. I need more." He hissed before hanging up the phone.

Elena quickly backed away to the freezers and acted as though she was looking for a drink as she turned over in her mind what Sam could possibly need from Ruby so desperately.

When they pulled up to the Novak house, they got out of the car slowly, Dean handing Elena the demon killing knife as he held a shotgun and Sam held another knife and a handgun. They walked up to the door and heard a struggle happening inside. After exchanging a quick look, Dean slammed the door open and they ran in. Elena ran to a man, who was holding Jimmy against the wall by the throat, and slit his throat before he could do anything, killing him. Jimmy stared at her with wide eyes but she simply turned around. The female demon stood and advanced on Sam, who dropped his weapons and raised his hand

"Go. Get them out of here." He growled, concentrating with difficulty.

"Go, go." Dean urged them.

Elena ran towards Sam, facing the demon's back, as he attempting, unsuccessfully, to exorcise the demon.

"Aw. Can't get it up, can you, Sam?" She said, taunting him with a smirk.

"No, but I can." Elena said, starting forward with the knife held high.

Before she could stab her, the demon fled the body, streaming into the air. Dean ran in and grabbed them, pulling them out to the Impala. They all jumped in, Elena squeezed between Sam and Dean and the Novaks in the backseat.

* * *

"You were right." Jimmy sighed as they sat in a mostly abandoned parking garage three towns over.

Amelia and Claire, his wife and daughter, remained in the car as the rest of them stood outside of it.

"I'm sorry we were." Dean said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything." He assured them pleadingly.

"I don't think they're inclined to believe you." Elena said.

"And even if they did, you're a vessel. They're still going to want to know what makes you tick." Sam threw in.

"Which means vivisection, if they're feeling generous." Dean nodded.

"I'm going to tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us." Sam tried to convince him once again.

"How long? And don't give me that 'cross that bridge when we get to it' crap." Jimmy said.

"Don't you get it? Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."

Elena raised her eyebrows and turned to stare at Sam, surprised at the harshness of his words.

"Well, don't sugarcoat it, Sam." Dean said, staring at his brother as well.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean. Someone has to." Sam said, shaking his head.

* * *

Elena and Dean watched with sad looks as Jimmy embraced his wife. Suddenly Elena found herself feeling even guiltier for blaming this man for Castiel's disappearance. It wasn't his fault. She sighed as Claire slid out of the car and walked with her parents over to where Sam was hotwiring a car.

"Okay, so, uh, here's your car." He said, climbing out.

"Hey. Take care of your mom, okay, bub?" Jimmy said, kneeling in front of Claire.

"Okay." The young girl nodded, reaching out to hug her father.

Amelia and Claire watched as Jimmy got in the car with them and they drove away.

"Why is he leaving again?" Claire asked sadly.

Amelia turned to the young girl and slapped her face, causing her to cry out as she looked up at her. The woman's eyes turned black.

"Because it's just not my day, is it? You little bitch." The demon said.

* * *

Elena leaned back against the seat as Jimmy slept on her shoulder, trying not to shift uncomfortably. He'd started out on the window but eventually he'd flopped over onto her, snoozing softly.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean asked Sam.

"What?" Sam replied as Elena listened closely.

"You practically fainted trying to gank a demon."

"Okay, I didn't faint. I got a little dizzy." Sam said defensively.

"Well, you can call it whatever you want. Point is, you used to be strong enough to kill Alastair. Now you can't even kill a stunt-demon number three?" Dean scoffed.

"What do you want me to say about it, Dean?" Sam demanded.

"Well for starters, what's going on with your mojo? I mean, it's yo-yoing all over the place. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, okay? I just… you're scaring me, man." the older brother admitted.

"I'm scaring myself." Sam sighed before his cellphone rang and he answered it. "Hello? Who is this?"

He turned to Elena and held the phone up.

"It's Amelia." He said.

Elena reached out and shook him awake.

"Hey. It's your wife." She murmured, pointing at the phone.

Jimmy sat up and took the phone from Sam, holding it up to his ear.

"Amelia?" he questioned. "Oh, my God."

* * *

As they climbed out of the car, Elena looked at Dean for the plan.

"Alright, they're expecting you to come alone. That's exactly what you're not gonna do. Elena will go with you. These are low level demons so she'll handle them if they attack her." The older Winchester explained as Jimmy pulled on the tan trenchcoat.

"We'll work our way through the catwalks. We'll be right behind you two." Sam said.

"All you gotta do is stay calm and stall. Let us do our job." Dean assured him as they walked towards the abandoned warehouse.

"You want me to stay calm? This is my family we're talking about." Jimmy snapped, turning to glare at them.

"Listen to me, this will work. You understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt." Dean assured him.

"Yeah, whatever. Give me a minute, okay?" he said, turning to walk off.

"Elena?" Dean said.

"I'm going." She nodded, following Jimmy.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean. You know this is probably a trap." Sam said.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I have a plan." He nodded.

* * *

Jimmy looked back at Elena with narrowed eyes before stopping and looking up at the sky.

"Castiel, you son of a bitch! You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them. I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven? Help me, please. You promised, Cas. Just help me." he shouted.

Elena watched with sad eyes as nothing happened.

"Typical." He growled, looking down.

"He could still come." Elena said as he turned to walk into the warehouse.

"It's unlikely." Jimmy said, pulling the door open for them to walk through.

They immediately saw Amelia standing next to Claire, who was tied to a chair and unconscious.

"Hi, honey. You're home." she said, grinning at Jimmy before turning to glare at Elena.

"Listen, I'm… I'm begging you here. You do whatever you want with me, but my wife and daughter, they're just – they're not a part of this." he pleaded with the demon.

Oh, they're a big part of this, Jimmy. And P.S., you should've come alone." She said, gesturing to Elena.

"It's just Elena and I." he said, looking over at her before looking back at the demon.

"Oh, you're such a liar. Like I didn't think you'd bring Heckle and Jeckle too, hmm?" she said.

Three other demons dragged Sam and Dean in.

"Nice plan, Dean." Sam said.

"Yeah, well, nobody bats a thousand." Dean shrugged as Elena rolled her eyes.

"Got the knife?" Amelia asked as a demon held up the demon-killing knife to show her.

"And you know what's funny?" she said, laughing lightly.

"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean asked.

"I was actually bummed to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel. Sort of like a milk run. Now look who landed in my lap." Amelia said, smirking at them.

"Yeah, well, you got us, okay? Let these people go." Sam said.

"Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your Wonder Girl powers aren't working, huh? Now for the punch line. Everybody dies." She said, holding up a gun and pointing it at Sam.

Elena readied herself to jump at the demon before she could pull the trigger but she turned and shot at Jimmy instead, the bullet hitting him in the gut. Elena gasped and ran forward, catching him as he fell to his knees.

"Waste Little Orphan Annie." Amelia said before leaving the room.

One of the demons walked forward towards Claire, ignoring Elena as she held Jimmy up and pressed her hand to his wound, concentrating as hard as she could. As the demon picked up a pipe and lifted it to swing towards Claire, her eyes popped open and she caught the weapon when it came down, reaching her hand out to press against his forehead. The demon shouted as a bright light emanated from his body. He dropped to the ground and the ropes suddenly snapped off of Claire as Dean and Sam began to fight the other demons.

"Castiel?" Jimmy whimpered as Claire walked past them, looking down at him.

Elena looked over at the fight in time to see Sam take the knife from the demon he was wrestling with. His face changed to relief as he sliced her throat open and stared at the blood leaking out for a moment before lowering his mouth to the wound. Claire exorcised the demon attacking Dean and he jumped up, turning in time to see Sam drinking the demon's blood greedily. Then he lifted his head, turning to see them all watching him with equally horrified looks. He turned back to the demon and drove Ruby's knife through her heart before standing up and turning to face Dean and Claire, who was possessed by Castiel. He held out his hand and caught Amelia as she ran up behind Dean and Castiel, exorcising her easily as she collapsed to her knees. When it was over, Dean helped the woman stand up slowly as he avoided looking at his brother and his bloodsoaked face. Claire approached them and kneeled next to Jimmy on the other side.

"Of course we keep our promises. Of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. Your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord. Rest now, Jimmy." Castiel said, looking down at him as he spoke through the little girl's voice.

"No. Claire?" Jimmy whimpered, blood spitting out of his mouth as he spoke.

"She's with me now. She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours." The angel reassured him.

"Please, Castiel. Me, just take me. Take me, please." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

Sam, Dean, and Amelia approached them but kept their distance as they saw them talking.

"I want to make sure you understand. You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it." Castiel explained.

"It doesn't matter. You take me. Just take me." Jimmy urged him.

"As you wish." Castiel nodded, reaching out to touch his face.

Elena backed away as a bright light emanated from both of them. She scrambled up and watched as Claire dropped to her hands and knees and a familiar look dawned in Jimmy's eyes. He wasn't Jimmy Novak anymore. He was Castiel again. He stood up, the gunshot wound and blood all gone. He walked forward, right past Amelia who ran to hug Claire. As he walked past Sam and Dean, the latter stopped him.

"Cas, hold up. What were you gonna tell me?" he asked.

Castiel turned to face them slowly, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean. I serve heaven, I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you." he said, turning to walk away as Dean and Sam watched with bewildered expressions.

Elena, however, wasn't just going to let him go.

"No!"

She rushed forward and ran after him, following him out into the rain.

"Cas!" she snapped, grabbing his arm and whirling him around.

Cas stared down at her with emotionless eyes, not at all like he was before. This was the warrior. This was the hammer. She stared at him through the thick rain as they were both soaked through almost immediately.

"What the hell? You take a trip up to heaven and all of the sudden you don't give a shit about us?" she demanded, pointing back at the warehouse.

"I have been forsaking my angelic nature in dealing with the three of you!" he yelled back over the rain.

"You've been helping us, Cas! There's nothing wrong with that!" she argued.

"It has become a fixation and I need to step back! I am not even meant to be your guardian!" he said, gesturing to her.

"Then why have you helped me so much?" she demanded, her voice breaking slightly.

"Because Gabriel asked me to!" he said, something breaking through his emotionless exterior at the name.

"Gabriel? That's my… guardian? The archangel Gabriel?" she questioned, pushing her soaked hair out of her face.

Castiel nodded, looking as though he didn't mean to say that.

"So that's it? You did a favor for a friend?" she demanded, tears stinging her eyes and mingling with the rain as both ran down her cheeks.

"Yes, that is it!" Cas said, covering his emotions once again.

She stared up at him, disbelief clear in her expression. All that she could think of at the moment were Lilith's words. They repeated in her head as she stepped away from him.

"Well, thanks a lot, Cas! You can go now!" she said, her voice cracking again before she turned away.

She didn't see Castiel reach out to her, hovering over her shoulder. She didn't see the emotionless mask disappear to reveal a devastated expression. She didn't hear the fluttering of wings over the rain but when she looked back, he was gone. She turned away and pressed a hand to her face, smothering a small sob. She didn't know why it bothered her so much that Castiel had turned away from him. Perhaps it was because she'd come to count on him, to lean on him for strength and help. His abandonment along with finally discovering what Sam was doing just converged in her mind and she found herself trembling and crying. Dean and Sam came walking out, standing a few feet away from each other. When Dean saw the distress and devastation on her face, he ran forward and immediately gathered her into his arms.

"Shh… it's okay." He murmured into her ear as she collapsed into him.

"Everything is…" she shook her head, unable to finish.

"I know, we'll fix it. I promise we'll fix it." he assured her.

* * *

Sam sat in the backseat now, staring down at his hands. Dean had the heat blasting as Elena shivered in the seat next to him, her entire body still wet.

"All right, let's hear it." Sam finally broke the silence, looking up at them.

"What?" Dean asked gruffly, staring out the front of the car.

"Drop the bomb, man. You saw what I did. Come on, stop the car, take a swing." Sam urged him.

"I'm not gonna take a swing." Dean sighed.

"Then scream, chew me out."

"I'm not mad, Sam."

"Come on. You're not mad?" Sam scoffed.

"Nope." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Right. Look, at least let me explain myself." He asked pleadingly.

"Don't. I don't care." Dean said, still staring straight forward.

"You don't care?" Sam asked, sounding put off.

"What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed? Yeah, I am. But, mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done." Dean said, shaking his head.

Elena knew the feeling. It was tiring and she was done too. She couldn't deal with anymore emotional upheaval. At least not for a few hours. Sam's cellphone broke the silence.

"Hey, Bobby." Sam said.

"Hey, you and your brother better shag ass to my place ASAP." They heard his voice say over the speaker.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"The apocalypse, genius. Now get your asses over here." Bobby said before hanging up the phone.

"What'd he say?" Dean asked, faking obliviousness.

* * *

"Well, thanks for shaking a tail." Bobby said as they approached the door to the panic room.

"Yeah, you got it." Dean nodded, his hand clenching Elena's as they stood beside each other.

Sam reached out and opened the door, looking inside.

"Go on inside. I want to show you something." Bobby urged him.

Sam walked in as they all hung back, watching him.

"All right. So, uh, what's the big demon problem?" He asked, turning around.

"You are. This is for your own good." Bobby said as him and Dean walked forward, closing and locking the door.

Sam darted forward to the locked door, putting his hands on the bars over the window.

"Guys? Hey, hey. What?" he demanded.

Bobby closed and latched the window and turned back to them.

"This isn't funny. Guys! Hey! Guys?" Sam shouted.

Elena blinked slowly and looked at Dean, who looked emotionally drained. She took his hand and pulled him up to the guest room. They both slowly stripped out of their clothing, sliding under the covers in their undergarments. They just stared at each other.

"Lilith said the angels weren't as good as we thought." Elena murmured, looking down at their entwined fingers. "What if she wasn't lying?"

Dean shook his head, pulling her into his chest.

"I don't know." He said honestly.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Next chapter is the second to last. I'll give you info about the next part of the story in the author's note at the end of the last chapter so pay attention to it. It might be called something different from last time so just make sure you check.**

**Next: Elena and Dean try to deal with Sam's detox. When he is mysteriously freed from the panic room, they go after him.**


	27. Could You Hold Me Tighter?

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to RHatch89, Nyssandria, xxPaige23xx, Dean Winchester Rocks, Ojha, DrawingMyHeartOut, beverlie4055, regrets-collect93, TheElegantFaerie, blahblahblah93, and the guest for reviewing!**

**CHAPTER TITLE: All You Wanted – Alison Sudol & Sounds Under Silence**

**A few things:**

**1. I am so sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out. I had most of it fixed up and written but I got very sick and spent most of my day sleeping. I'm actually still very sick but I really wanted to get this out.**

**2. The next chapter is the last chapter of this part of the series.**

**3. Elena's outfits are on my profile.**

**4. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Elena listened from the top of the stairs as Dean opened the window latch to speak to Sam. It had been all day and they'd been avoiding the downstairs room. Sam had been shouting curses up at them the entire time.

"Okay. Let me out. This is not funny." She heard Sam demand, sounding frustrated.

"Damn straight." Dean agreed in a rough yet controlled voice.

"Dean, come on. This is crazy." Sam said in a pleading voice.

"No. Not until you dry out."

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. Just open the door." The younger brother said desperately.

"You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you lied to me over and over again. I get it now. You couldn't help it." Dean said in the same calm voice.

"I'm not some junkie." Sam argued.

Elena looked down at the coffee cup she was holding in both of her hands and sighed, leaning against the doorway.

"Really? I guess I've just imagined how strung out you've been lately." Dean fired back.

"You're actually trying to twist this into some kind of ridiculous drug intervention?" Sam scoffed.

"If it smells like a duck." Dean said.

"Dean, I'm not drinking the demon blood for kicks. I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith."

"Strong?" the older Winchester said, scoffing.

"Yeah."

"This is about as far away from strong as you can get. Try weak. Try desperate. Pathetic." Dean snapped, his careful control finally breaking as his frustration boiled over.

Elena held herself back from walking downstairs. They needed to talk without her presence.

"Killing Lilith is what matters. Or are you so busy being self-righteous you forgot about her?" Sam demanded.

"Oh, Lilith's gonna die. Elena and I will kill her. But not with you." Dean said.

Elena sighed, clutching at the coffee cup. As much as she agreed with Dean's idea that they keep Sam out of the fight with Lilith, none of them had any idea how to go about killing the demon.

"You're not serious." Sam said.

"Congrats, Sammy. You just bought yourself a benchwarmer seat to the apocalypse." Dean said.

"Dean, look… no, wait…" Sam said pleadingly as Dean shut the window cover and latched it.

Elena heard Dean's footsteps coming back towards the steps and watched as he ascended them slowly.

"Come back here. Dean! Let me out of here!" Sam shouted.

When he reached the top, he looked up at her. His expression was grief-stricken. She held out her hand and he took it.

"Dean! Let me out of here! Let me out! Dean!"

"I guess we'd better start researching." Elena said softly, feeling sadness for the other Winchester downstairs locked away as she turned to walk upstairs with Dean following her.

* * *

Sam slammed his hand on the door once more before turning to face the panic room. Suddenly the lights began flickering and the room shook a bit.

"Guys! Get down here! Something's coming!" he shouted, looking around with panic to see Alastair standing there.

"Hello, Sam. It's a pleasure to see you again. Looks like I have you all to myself here. Goodness. How will we pass the time?" the demon said, looking thrilled.

Sam suddenly found himself bound to the small cot.

"Don't. No, no, don't. Don't, don't. No… stop! Stop! Alastair… please. Please." He pleaded around the gag that was in his mouth.

"So polite all of a sudden. Very nice. I appreciate that." Alastair said, smirking down at him as he revealed a tray of instruments.

"No. Alastair, please. No, no…"

He screamed loudly as Alastair dug a scalpel into his gut.

"No. No. God, no! Please! Please, please. God!"

* * *

Elena watched as Bobby poured two glasses of whiskey, offering a third to her but she shook her head. They could hear Sam screaming painfully, sounding terrified. Elena let her head drop to her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs as she curled up on the couch.

"Stop! Stop!" Sam shouted.

She bit her lip hard, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to overcome her. She didn't know if it was her guardian instincts or just her attachment to Sam that made her want to run downstairs and comfort him, but it was overpowering her. She felt like her whole body was twitching in pain each time he screamed.

"How long is this gonna go on?" Dean asked.

"Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual. Oh wait. No one ever wrote one. No telling how long it'll take. Hell, or if Sam will even live through it." Bobby said.

The phone rang and Elena winced, lifting her head to see Bobby answer it.

"Hello?" He answered, his face automatically becoming angry. "Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again, I'll kill you."

"What's up with Rufus?" Dean asked, looking at Bobby strangely once he hung up.

"He knows." Bobby said, shrugging as he drank his whiskey.

The phone rang once more and Bobby groaned, picking it up.

"I'm busy, you son of a bitch. This better be important." he said.

Bobby's face fell and his eyes widened. He looked up at Dean with a look that said, 'shit's going down'.

Yet another scream echoed from downstairs and Elena jumped up.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." She said, turning away to run upstairs.

Dean watched her go with before turning back to Bobby, who was hanging up the phone.

* * *

Sam gasped when he shot up, realizing that he was no longer bound and gagged. He looked down to see that his body was intact.

"The answer's yes. You're hallucinating." A voice said and Sam turned to see a younger version of himself.

His eyes widened.

"That's right, it's me. Or I mean it's you." Young Sam shrugged, striding forward with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm losing my mind." Sam said, turning to rub his head.

"Definitely." Young Sam agreed.

"What do you want?" he demanded, turning to glare at him.

"An explanation. How could you do this to me? I thought we were gonna be normal." Young Sam said accusingly.

"I tried. I did. It didn't pan out that way. Sorry, kid." Sam sighed.

"Sorry, kid? That's what you have to say? It's all we ever wanted. We were so close. You got away from Dad. You quit hunting. You were gonna become a lawyer and get married. Why'd you blow it?" he demanded.

"Look. They killed Jessica."

"Yeah. And if you hadn't run off with Dean, if you'd been there to protect her, she'd still be alive."

"I know." Sam said.

"You think Jess would want you to turn into this? She loved you. You think she'd be happy you using her as an excuse?" Young Sam questioned.

"I'm sorry. I am. But life doesn't turn out the way you thought when you were fourteen years old. We were never gonna be normal. We were never gonna get away. Grow up." Sam snapped.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there's no escape. After all, how can you run from what's inside you?" Young Sam said.

Sam looked over to see his eyes turn yellow.

* * *

The shower didn't take away the on edge feeling and pain that Elena was experiencing. She immediately blow dried her hair and left it slightly wavy before getting dressed in a casual comfortable outfit and walking back downstairs. The screaming had stopped but that almost worried her more.

"The news. The news ain't good." She heard Bobby say from the study.

She walked in and they looked up at her and nodded before looking back down at the computer.

"This is what Rufus called about? 'Key West sees ten species go extinct'." Dean recited.

"Yep. Plus Alaska. Fifteen-man fishing crew all stricken blind, cause unknown. New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly sixty-six kids. All this in a single day. I looked them up. There's no doubt about it. They're all seals. Breaking. Fast." Bobby said.

Elena felt her blood run cold and looked down at her boots.

"How many are left?" Dean asked.

"Who knows? Can't be many. Where the hell are your angel pals?" Bobby demanded, making Elena wince.

"You tell me." Dean shrugged, looking up at her.

"I'm just wondering…" Bobby trailed off, looking down as they looked at him.

"What?" Dean questioned.

"The apocalypse being nigh and all... is now really the right time to be having this little domestic drama of ours?" Bobby wondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Well, I don't like this any more than you do, but Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stopping Armageddon." He said, looking between them.

"So what? Sacrifice Sam's life, his soul, for the greater good? Is that what you're saying? Times are bad, so let's use Sam as a nuclear warhead?" Dean demanded.

"Look, I know you hate me for suggesting it. I hate me for suggesting it. I love that boy like a son. All I'm saying is maybe he's here right now instead of on the battlefield because we love him too much." Bobby sighed.

Elena and Dean exchanged a wary look before Dean turned to walk out of the house. Elena felt another twinge and looked back at the stairs that led to the basement.

* * *

Sam sat cross-legged on the floor, trying not to concentrate on the room that was spinning around him. When he spotted a pitcher of water on the table, he tried to get up, bracing himself on the cot to do so.

"Poor baby." A soft, female voice said.

He looked up, startled, to see a blonde woman standing there in a white, blood-stained nightgown.

"Mom." he whispered.

"Sam. You look just awful." She said sadly, walking forward to sit on the cot beside him.

He laughed and shook his head, looking down at his hands.

"Let's hear it. Go ahead." He said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding confused.

"You're disappointed. You never thought I'd turn out this way. I'm a piss-poor excuse for a son. Your heart is broken. Am I close?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Not at all. You're doing the right thing, Sam. What you're doing is brave. You're not being crazy, you're being practical. Sam, I am so proud of you." she said, taking his hand in hers.

"But… but Dean…" he stammered.

"Your brother doesn't understand. I was raised a hunter from a long line. We understand that there are gonna be hard choices. And we do what we have to get the job done. Yes, our family is cursed. But you… you have the power to turn it into a gift. You can use it against them." Mary said, smiling sadly.

"For revenge?" Sam asked.

"No, for justice. I know how scared you are." She said, reaching to cradle his face.

"What's in me, Mom, it's…" Sam trailed off.

"Evil. And you know it." she said, causing a tear to fall down his cheek.

"What if it's stronger than me? Look at me. What if Dean's right?" Sam asked.

"Dean can never know how strong you are, because Dean is weak. Look at what he's done to you. Locking you in here? He's terrified. He's in over his head. You have to go on without him. You have what it takes. You have to kill Lilith." She said.

"Even if it kills me." Sam nodded.

"Make my death mean something. I'm counting on you, Sam. Don't let anyone or anything get in your way. Not even Dean." His mother said, kissing his cheek before vanishing.

* * *

When Elena went to find Dean after he'd been outside for over an hour, she was surprised to see him standing in the middle of the cars looking up at the sky.

"Come on!" he shouted.

"Dean?" she said, shivering as the cold hit her.

She ignored it, walking towards him as he continued to look up at the stars.

"Cas! I know you hear me you son of a bitch! Come on!" he shouted.

"Dean." She sighed, shaking her head.

She had her doubts that the angel would come. He made it pretty clear that he didn't give a damn about them. So when she heard the sound of him appearing behind Dean, she looked up at him with shock.

"Well, it's about time. I've been screaming myself hoarse out here for about an hour and a half now." Dean growled, glaring at him.

"What do you want?" Castiel asked, his voice emotionless as he walked towards them.

"You can start with what the hell happened in Illinois." Dean said.

Elena stood behind him, looking at Castiel but not at his face. She had no desire to look into his eyes.

"What do you mean?" the angel asked, trying and failing to sound oblivious.

"Cut the crap. You were gonna tell me something." Dean snapped.

"Well, nothing of import." He shrugged, making Elena scoff and look down as she huddled with her arms wrapped around her torso.

She was in far too thin of clothing to be outside in the cold weather.

"You got ass-reamed in heaven but it was not of import?" Dean demanded.

"Dean, I can't. I'm sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all as he turned away.

"Get to the reason you really called me. It's about Sam, right?" he asked as he walked a few steps and stopped.

"Can he do it? Kill Lilith, stop the apocalypse?" Dean asked.

"Possibly, yes. But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps." Cas said, turning back around and walking to stand before Dean once again.

"Crank up the hell-blood regimen." Dean nodded.

"Consuming the amount of blood it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely, he would become the next creature that you would feel compelled to kill." The angel said honestly.

Elena fought back the urge to scream at him that she wouldn't allow anyone to hunt or kill Sam. Not on her watch.

"There's no reason this would have to come to pass, Dean. We believe it's you, Dean, not your brother. The only question for us is whether you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role. You are the one who will stop it."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him, wondering where he was going with this speech.

"If I do this, Sammy doesn't have to?" Dean asked after a moment of thinking.

"If it gives you comfort to see it that way." Castiel said simply.

"God, you're a dick these days." Dean scoffed, turning to walk away.

Unfortunately, as she'd been staring at the back of Dean's head, her eyes fell on Castiel as soon as he moved. Their eyes met and she simply stared at him, mimicking his unemotional mask. They stared at each other as Dean stopped and sighed, his back facing them.

"Fine, I'm in." he said.

Elena's head snapped to him before she looked back at Cas, an accusing glare on her face. Her arms dropped from where she had them crossed and she squinted at him.

"You give yourself over wholly to the service of God and his angels?" Castiel asked as he continued to look at her.

She shook her head slowly, indicating that she would not side with him on this.

"Yeah, exactly." Dean said, still facing away from them.

"Say it." Castiel urged him.

"I give myself over wholly to serve God and...you guys." Dean said, turning to face him with an exasperated expression.

"You swear to follow his will and his word as swiftly and obediently as you did your own father's?" the angel asked.

"Yes, I swear. Now what?" Dean demanded.

"Now you wait, and we call on you when it's time." Castiel said, looking at him before looking back at Elena.

Dean looked at her as well and she knew what their question was immediately. What would she do? Who would she side with? Because apparently they were picking sides and Sam was not on the side of the angels. Her eyes flickered to Dean.

"They're gonna ask you to kill Sam." She said simply.

Dean's eyes flashed to Castiel, who didn't react to this statement.

"Maybe not today or tomorrow… but there will come a time when they decide that Sam is no longer worth the trouble and they will ask you to kill him. And you just gave yourself over to them." She said, shaking her head as she turned away.

"Do you really think we're so cruel?" Castiel asked.

She turned her head towards him.

"I think you just pitted two brothers against each other without a second thought." She replied before turning to walk away.

Suddenly a flash of pain went through her and she cried out, falling to her knees, as it concentrated on her head. She clutched at it as she screamed loudly.

"Elena!" she heard Dean shout.

When she felt, not one person, but two, at her side trying to help her, she shook her head and shoved both Dean and Cas away.

"Leave me alone!" she cried, stumbling to her feet before turning to look at them with tears blurring her eyes.

"I won't let you touch Sam!" she screamed, pointing at Castiel.

"This is your guardian side talking, Elena." he said, looking at her with those wide eyes that she'd come to think she knew so well.

"I don't give a damn what it is!" she shouted, pressing a hand to her head.

"What the hell is going on?" Dean said, looking between the two.

"Sam is in pain. She is in pain. Did she explain everything?" Castiel asked, turning to look at Dean.

"Yeah, everything that you told her… in Scotland." Dean said, narrowing his eyes at the angel.

"The more she is with the two of you, the more her protective instinct takes over her. She might be feeling actual pain as Sam is suffering." Castiel explained.

"Well that's an excellent idea. Good on the angels." Dean snapped, walking forward to help her.

Elena pushed him away again and turned to run inside. Dean turned to glare at Castiel before running after her.

* * *

"Where'd she go?" Dean asked as soon as he ran in.

"Downstairs." Bobby said, pointing at the basement.

He ran after her and found her sitting on the ground in front of the door to the panic room, tears streaming down her face as Sam's screams for help filled the air. He walked to her and knelt before her.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered, looking up at him with soulful eyes.

"Shh, it's okay." He said, taking her hands in his.

"I know you're not gonna kill Sam. I know it. I just… I need to keep both of you safe. How am I supposed to do that if you fight each other?" she cried, clutching at him.

"We're not gonna fight. Elena right now the only thing we're fighting is Lilith and the apocalypse. Sam doesn't have to have anything to do with that. That's why I made that promise to Cas. I am keeping him out so that he doesn't have to be protected against something he's not a part of." He murmured, pulling her into his chest.

She let out a soft sob and he held her as she cried. When her tears finally dried up a few minutes later, she pulled away from him.

"I'm gonna stay down here. The pain is a little better when I'm closer to Sam. You should go tell Bobby what went on with Cas. He needs to know." She whispered.

He looked down and stroked her face, kissing her forehead.

"You sure you're all right?" he asked after another shout emanated from the room.

She flinched but nodded, attempting to smile up at him. It came out as more of a grimace. He helped her stand up and sh leaned against the wall next to the room. Dean leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I'll be back, okay?" he said.

"Bring some food with you when you do come back. I'm hungry." She said, smiling at him before she kissed him more thoroughly.

He managed to smile back and turned to walk upstairs. When he was out of sight and earshot, Elena's smile fell and she turned to the room, reaching her hand out to unlatch it. As she pulled the door open, she saw Sam sitting on the floor dazedly looking up at her. She closed it behind her and walked forward.

* * *

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch?" Bobby demanded.

Dean looked at him with an exasperated face.

"I'm sorry. You prefer 'sucker'? After everything you said about them, now you trust them?" he said, staring at Dean with an accusatory face.

"Come on, give me a little credit, Bobby. I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan." Dean said, throwing his arms into the air.

"Then why in the hell did you…"

"Because what other option do I have?" Dean interrupted, shouting. "It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon?"

Bobby sighed and leaned against his desk.

"I see your point." He nodded.

They both remained quiet, realizing that something was wrong.

"You hear that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that's a little too much nothing." Bobby said as they both stood and hurried to the stairs.

When they got down there, Dean panicked when he realized that Elena was nowhere to be seen. He noticed that the door was slightly ajar at the same time as a piercing scream filled the air.

* * *

"Dean!" Elena screamed, holding Sam in her arms as he writhed around on the floor.

She turned him over on his left side and looked around for anything to put in his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue. She didn't see anything and winced as she inserted her fingers in his mouth, pulling his tongue away from blocking his airways. His teeth smashed down and she cried out when he bit her hand so hard that it began to bleed. Dean and Bobby came crashing in a soon as Sam was thrown away from her and into the wall. She immediately jumped up, ignoring the pain in her hand as she looked up at him with panic.

"That ain't faking." Bobby announced as they ran forward to pry him off of the wall.

When they finally got him on the ground, Dean whipped off his belt and shoved it into his mouth.

"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety. Dean? You with me? Dean! Before he has another fit." Bobby shouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get it over with." Dean said as they hauled him up and pinned him to the cot.

Once he was tied down, Dean turned to her, taking in her bleeding hand and panicked expression.

"Are you all right?" he asked, starting forward to take her hand in his.

"Hmm? Yeah." She nodded, staring at Sam's suddenly unconscious form.

"Well heal your hand already." He said, wincing at the deep gashes caused by Sam's teeth.

"Oh, right." she said, looking down at her hand.

Once she was cleaned up, Dean turned to leave the room.

"I'm gonna stay in here." She said.

He turned to look at her with surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"Sam is tied down, he can't go anywhere. I want to be here for at least a few minutes." She said softly, looking down at Sam.

"Oh… okay. Well… Bobby and I are gonna do research." Dean said.

"I'll be up soon." She said, sliding down the wall and pulling her knees to her chest.

About ten minutes after Dean left, Sam began to revive, groaning and opening his eyes. Elena leaned forward to say something but stopped when Sam stared at the foot of the cot, his eyes wide as if he was looking at someone standing there.

"You know why." He said suddenly, making Elena stare at him with wide eyes.

There was silence for a few moments before Sam nodded.

"Of course." He said.

Elena figured that he had no idea she was there.

"Point? How about 'stop the damn apocalypse'?" Sam asked angrily.

* * *

"I'm gonna ask one more time. Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?" Bobby asked as he leaned against the desk and Dean sat on the couch with his elbows on his knees.

"Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him." Dean said, gesturing to the stairs.

"No, it isn't. We are." Bobby corrected him.

"What?" he asked, unsure of what Bobby was saying.

"I'm sorry. I can't bite my tongue any longer. We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there. This cold-turkey thing isn't working. If… if he doesn't get what he needs, soon, Sam's not gonna last much longer." he said, shaking his head.

"No. I'm not giving him demon blood. I won't do it." Dean refused.

"And if he dies?" Bobby demanded.

"Then at least he dies human!" Dean shouted back.

* * *

"Just leave me alone." Sam sighed, looking at the bed with a tired expression.

Elena didn't do or say anything, just sitting there.

"No. You're wrong, Dean." Her eyes widened.

He was hallucinating Dean.

"Stop." He said pleadingly.

"Stop it." again after a few moments.

"Shut up! Just shut. The hell. Up!" Sam shouted, pulling at his chains.

* * *

"I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself. I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster." Dean explained.

* * *

"Monster, Sam. You're a monster." Dean said tauntingly as he circled the cot.

"Dean, no." Sam said pleadingly, shaking his head.

"And I tried so hard to pretend that we were brothers. That you weren't one of the filthy things that we hunt. But we're not even the same species. You're nothing to me." Dean snapped, chuckling.

"Don't say that to me. Don't you say that to me." Sam cried, looking down at the cot.

When he looked up, the room was empty. He saw something shifting out of the corner of his eye and saw Elena standing up from the ground.

"Sam? It's me, Elena. I'm not a hallucination. It's really me." she said, approaching him slowly.

"No." he sad, shaking his head as he yanked himself away from her.

"Shh… it's okay Sam." She said, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"No! Get away from me! Get out!" he yelled, the chains rattling as he scrambled to avoid her touch.

Elena stared at him with wide, tear-filled eyes before one slid down her cheek slowly.

"It's really me, Sam." She whimpered before turning to run out of the room, slamming and locking the door behind her.

* * *

When Elena ran upstairs, she looked to see Dean in the study. He took one look at her face and walked to her.

"We need to take our minds off of this." he sighed, wrapping her up in his arms.

"How, Dean? Sam is going downhill, he can't tell the difference between reality and hallucinations. The seals are almost all broken. The angels are screwing everything up!" Elena said desperately.

"Come on. Let's just… let's go lie down." Dean said, looking back at Bobby with a look that said, 'don't do anything with my brother without me'.

Once they got to the room, they collapsed on the bed and, surprisingly enough, both of them fell asleep holding each other pretty quickly.

* * *

Sam jerked awake when he heard a clicking sound. When he looked up, the handcuffs on his wrists and ankles snapped off one at a time. Then the door slowly creaked open and he looked at it with wide eyes.

"Hello?" he said loudly.

He stood slowly, walking to the door and slipping out of it.

"Someone here?" he asked quietly, looking around the basement.

When no one answered, he hurried out of the basement quietly, missing Castiel stepping out from underneath the stairs to close and lock the panic room door before he disappeared.

* * *

Elena jerked awake when she felt another presence in the room. She sat up, Dean's arm falling off of her as she looked around to see a figure standing in the darkness.

"Anna?" she mumbled.

"You need to come with me." the female angel said, holding a jacket out to her.

"Why do we need to come?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"Not 'we'. Just you." Anna said desperately.

"Anna I can't…" she was cut off by Anna walking forward and grabbing her hand.

Elena gasped and when she opened her eyes, they were standing on a large dock with several large oil tankers docked there.

"What the hell?" she demanded, rounding on the redhead.

"You deserve to know." Anna said simply, holding the jacket out to her again.

Elena narrowed her eyes at the angel before taking the jacket and slipping it on. Anna grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards an oil tanker. Before they could walk up onto it, they disappeared and reappeared on the deck facing a man who had his back turned to them. Elena immediately recognized him and really wanted an explanation as to why she was there.

"What did you do?" Anna demanded.

"You shouldn't have come, Anna." Castiel said without facing them.

"Why would you let out Sam Winchester?" she said.

"What?" Elena demanded, her eyes widening.

Castiel finally turned to look at them, unsurprised to see her there.

"Those were my orders." He said as an excuse.

"Orders?" Elena said, enraged.

"Cas, you saw him. He's drinking demon blood. It's so much worse than we thought. Dean was trying to stop him." Anna said, stopping Elena from talking any further as she stepped forward.

"You really shouldn't have come." Castiel sighed.

Elena felt something whoosh beside her and turned to see two angels appear beside Anna. A white light flashed and they were gone, leaving Castiel and Elena alone. She turned to look at him to see him looking down, ashamed.

"Why did you do this? First Sam? Now Anna?" she asked, her voice quiet as she watched him turn away.

"I…" he began.

"If you say orders I swear to God…" Elena trailed off, shaking her head.

"I think that it's time to get you back to Dean." He said, turning to walk to her.

He held his hand out, a gesture that would have seemed normal before. It's how they traveled, she held his hand instead of him pressing two fingers to her forehead like he did everyone else. Elena flinched away and turned her back.

"Why do you want to get me back to Dean so badly? Huh? It's not like you actually want me to do anything to protect them. It's just nice to be able to say that they have a guardian but you don't really want me to be one." She snapped, dropping her head.

She felt his hand touch her shoulder and the familiar whooshing of travel.

"Trust your instincts. They'll lead you to him." Cas said before he disappeared.

Elena looked up to see that she was standing outside of Bobby's house. She turned to see a car disappearing onto the road. That was Sam leaving, she was sure of it. She ran up to the unconscious form of Bobby lying on the gravel and shook him awake.

"What the hell?" he groaned, sitting up.

"Sam is gone. You must have tried to stop him." She said, pulling him to a standing position.

* * *

She watched as Bobby and Dean unlocked and opened the panic room door.

"How the hell did he get out?" Dean growled.

Elena kept her mouth shut. If she told Dean how it happened, he would be more focused on wanting to screw the angels over rather than finding Sam, which was more important.

"Maybe he had help. Room full of busted devil's traps." Bobby sighed.

"Demons? Ruby." Dean asked, looking at Bobby.

"That'd be my guess." The older hunter said.

Dean looked back at Elena and she shrugged, trying to look as confused as they were.

"How did she even touch the door?" he asked.

"You think she's got the mojo?" Bobby asked, turning away from the door to face Elena.

"I didn't think so. I don't know, man." Dean sighed, leaning against the door.

"What difference does it make? How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. At this point I hope he's with Ruby." Dean said, starting forward to take Elena's hand and pull her upstairs.

"Why?" Bobby asked as they ascended the stairs.

"Cause we're gonna kill her." Elena and Dean said at the same time as Bobby followed them to the next set of stairs.

"I thought you were on call for angel duty." He reminded him, stopping them as they turned their heads to look at him.

"I am on call. In my car, on my way to murder the bitch." Dean snapped.

They continued on their path upstairs.

"One thing." Bobby stopped them once again.

"What?" Dean sighed, turning to face him once more.

"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find." He informed the older Winchester.

"Yeah, we'll see." Dean said, shaking his head.

* * *

Sam, shaking, stood up slowly and weakly as someone knocked on the door of the expensive hotel room he'd rented.

"Honeymoon suite, really? I'm flattered." Ruby said with a smirk as he opened the door.

She walked and began pulling off her jacket as he closed the door behind her.

"Did you bust me out of that room?" he asked uncertainly.

"How could I, Sam? The whole thing's engineered to bite me in the ass." She replied, walking to the bed.

"Then how did I get out of there?" He demanded.

"I don't know. I don't want to know. You're out. That's all that matters. I'm glad you're here." She said, turning to smile at him.

"Yeah? Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

"I got here as quick as I could." Ruby said defensively.

"I mean the past three weeks. I've been calling you!" he exclaimed desperately, looking worse for wear.

"I've been pretty deep in it trying to dig out Lilith. Sometimes I can't sit around and check my voicemail. I'm sorry you're hurting. Really. I had no idea that Dean would do that to you." she said sadly, stepping forward to stand closer to him.

Sam sighed and hurt flashed through his eyes.

"You and me both." he breathed.

"You didn't book this joint just to impress me, did you?" she asked, frowning.

"Dean's gonna come after me. And he knows my habits, my aliases, everything. He knows exactly which motel I'd pick." Sam said, looking around at the expensive room.

"Hence the room." she nodded.

"Whatever it takes to shake him." Sam shrugged.

"It won't be easy. I mean, he knows you better than anyone." Ruby informed him.

"Not as well as he thinks." Sam said, hurt clear in his voice.

"You know, it's sad." She sighed, walking forward to stroke his cheek.

"What?" he asked, looking down at her.

"That things have gotten this bad between you two." she said, looking up at him with sympathetic eyes.

Suddenly Sam slammed her onto the bed and leaned over her, moving down her body until he found the knife in her boot. He slowly pulled it out, leaning up to cut her arm. She watched with a smirk as he sucked her blood into his mouth greedily.

* * *

"Police found my car. Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota." Bobby informed them as he walked up.

Elena was standing beside Dean as he did a few repairs on the Impala while Bobby got the information on where Sam was. She held a wrench out to him when he put his hand out for it. They were both in ratty clothing so that the grease from the car that they knew would inevitably get all over them wouldn't stain anything important. She was even wearing an old pair of cowboy boots from her horseback riding phase when she was fifteen that she happened to have brought with her.

"He's switching up. Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?" Dean asked, glancing up at the older man.

"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes." Bobby answered.

"What was the other one?" Elena asked.

"White '05 Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign." Bobby said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"You're right. He'd never take that." Dean said, looking over at Elena.

"Which is exactly what he did." she sighed, taking the tool back from him and dropping it into the toolbox.

"You think?" Bobby asked.

"We know that kid. All right, I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases. We have to find him quick." Dean nodded, turning to walk in the direction of the house so that he and Elena could get cleaned up and change clothes.

* * *

"Your appetite's gotten much bigger." Ruby said as she looked over at Sam, leaning up onto her elbow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, tensing up as he sat up.

"Sam, relax. It's okay. It's good. Just means you're getting stronger, that's all. It means you're strong enough to kill Lilith. Just in time, too, because the final seals are breaking." She said, rolling her eyes as she sat back.

"How many are left?" Sam asked.

"Three... two..." she shrugged.

"What? Where are the angels?" he demanded.

"Screwing the pooch, wherever they are. The point is, it's looking more and more like we're getting down to the final seal. And I found out something big." The demon said with a smirk.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Seal sixty-six. It can't be broken by just any demon. Apparently, only Lucifer's first can do it." She explained, sitting up along with him.

"Lucifer's first?" Sam asked, confused.

"Demon Sunday School story. God prefers humans to angels. Lucifer gets jealous and then he gets creative. And he twists and tempts a human soul into the very first demon as a 'screw you' to God. It's what got him locked up in the first place." she informed him.

"That was Lilith?"

"She's way older than she looks." Ruby confirmed.

"Wait. So if Lilith is the only one who can break the final seal, if I get to her in time…" Sam trailed off.

"Then Lucifer never busts out of his cage. Exactly." Ruby nodded.

"Great. You figure out where she is?" he questioned.

"The bitch can hide. But I finally have a lead on someone who might be able to help us. I closed in on a member of Lilith's entourage. You might call her a personal chef." She said.

"Chef? Seriously? What does she eat?" Sam asked, frowning.

"You don't wanna know." Ruby said with a slight smirk, shaking her head.

* * *

Elena walked out of the house behind Dean with Bobby following him. They didn't bother to bring bags or a change of clothes because they only planned on grabbing Sam and dragging his ass back to the panic room.

"You kids call if you need anything? I'll call if I get any updates." Bobby said as Dean slammed the trunk open.

"Yeah, we will." Dean nodded as they got in the car.

Elena looked over at him as they pulled away from the house. He looked back at her, pausing before they pulled onto the highway.

"No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. We'll be together." She assured him, reaching out to take his hand.

"We'll be together." He sighed, nodding as he squeezed her hand back and pulling out onto the highway towards North Dakota.

* * *

"So our demon gourmet nurse. You sure?" Sam asked as he pulled on his jacket.

"She'll be there. Graveyard shift tomorrow night. Meantime, if you're gonna be strong enough to kill Lilith, you're gonna need more than I can give you now." Ruby said to him as she did the same.

Sam sighed and looked over at her, seeing her holding out a knife.

"Sam. Come on. It's okay." She assured him.

"I know I need more. I get it. I know it's okay. I just… I wish he'd trusted me, you know?" he said, taking the knife from her.

"Sorry." She said sympathetically.

"I just hope... you know, when all this is over... I hope we can fix things." he said sadly, looking down at his feet.

* * *

"Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River." Bobby said over speakerphone as Elena held it in her hand for Dean to hear

"How far away am I?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"A couple of hours. I pulled up a weather map, made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring. Lighting up with demon signs." The older man informed them.

"A good place to look." Elena nodded.

"Hey, listen." Bobby stopped them from hanging up.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Us finding Sam? It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away."

Dean glanced over at Elena at his words before glancing back at the road.

"Right." he sighed, agreeing with Bobby.

"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You gotta get through to him." he said.

Dean nodded at Elena.

"Thanks Bobby." She said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

Once they reached the town, Dean pulled to the side of the road at a gas station.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"Going to get a list of hotels so we can figure out which one Sammy is at." He said, jumping out of the car and running inside.

When he came back out, he handed the list to her.

"Wanna pick one to start at?" he asked.

Elena scanned the list slowly.

"He's here." She said automatically, pointing to the last one on the list.

Dean looked over at the list and looked at her with surprise.

"The gas station guy told me that's the most expensive one." He commented.

"You don't think that's it?" she asked.

"No, I know that's it. And I'd be willing to bet my life that he's in the most expensive room." Dean said, pulling out of the parking lot.

* * *

Their plan remained unspoken yet they both knew what it was anyways as they walked down the hallway of the top floor of the hotel. A door opened down the hall and they peeked around the corner to see Sam walking out of a room and turning to walk down the hallway the other way. Dean looked over at her and she knelt down to pull the demon-killing knife out of her boot where she'd shoved it into the ankle sheath. When it was gripped in her hand, they walked to the door. Luckily, the door was left unlocked. Dean pushed it open silently and they snuck in, seeing Ruby standing at the edge of the bed. She turned just in time to see Dean launch at her.

He slammed his fist into her face but she countered with a hit of her own without hesitation. Dean wrestled with her for a moment before getting the upper hand and grabbing her arms, whirling her around to face Elena, who held her hand high to stab the knife into the demon's chest. Before she could drive it into her heart, a hand caught her arm and whirled her around.

"Don't!" Sam said, trying to wrestle the knife out of her grip.

"Stop it, Sam." She said, pushing him against the wall with her added strength, digging her elbow into his side to incapacitate him without hurting him too badly.

He gasped and let go of her and she turned to see that Ruby had taken Dean by surprise and was holding him against the wall. It was reminiscent of the warehouse when they first discovered that Sam was exorcising demons with him. Elena launched towards Ruby but Sam caught her around the waist, throwing her on the bed before running to peel Dean and Ruby apart. Elena jumped up and ran into the fray once again, grabbing Ruby by the hair and ripping her back before throwing her against the wall. Sam pulled her away once again as Dean darted forward to grab Ruby again. The demon ducked under his arm and ran to stand behind Sam.

"No. Let her go. Just take it easy!" Sam said as he pushed Elena towards Dean and blocked their way to Ruby.

They both stared at Sam, their eyes darting back to the demon every once in a while.

"Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep us from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here we are." Dean said, swallowing hard as they caught their breath after the tussle.

"I'm glad you're here. Look. Let's just talk about this." Sam said pleadingly.

"Soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want." Dean said, pointing at Ruby.

"Ruby, get out of here." Sam said quickly.

"No, she's not going anywhere." Elena snapped, darting forward.

Sam caught her and threw her back into Dean's chest, making them both stare at him with wide eyes as Ruby ran out of the room.

"She's poison, Sam!" Dean shouted, helping Elena straighten and then rounding on his brother.

"It's not what you think, Dean." Sam said pleadingly.

"Look what she did to you." Elena said, shaking her head at him.

"I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit…" Dean finished Elena's thought.

"She was looking for Lilith." Sam said.

"That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday!" Dean shouted.

"You're wrong." He said, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Sam, you're lying to yourself." Elena sighed, trying to make him see the truth.

Sam looked up at them with guarded eyes.

"I just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me. You know you would." Dean said desperately.

"Just listen." Sam said pleadingly. "Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us. We'll do this together."

He stared between the two, his brother and the girl he thought of as his sister, with desperate eyes.

"That sounds great. As long as it's you and me and Elena. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now." Dean offered.

Sam hesitated, looking back at the door.

"I can't." Sam sighed, making Elena's heart skip a beat.

Dean turned away, nodding and she saw the pain all over his face. Sam had just chosen a demon over his own brother.

"Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this." Sam explained.

Elena watched them warily as Dean turned back around with an incredulous expression.

"No, you're not the one who's going to do this." he said, shaking his head.

"Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you." Sam said with a skeptical chuckle.

"You don't think I can?" Dean demanded.

"No. You can't. You're not strong enough." Sam fired back.

"And who the hell are you?" Dean shouted.

"I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done!" Sam yelled back.

"Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing." Dean snapped.

"Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me." Sam begged.

"No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Yes, I do." Sam said, trying to appeal to Dean.

"Then that's worse!" Dean snapped.

"Why? Look, I'm telling you…" Sam said.

"Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are!" Dean cut him off, shouting. "It means…"

Elena winced as Dean cut himself off from saying what he almost said. It was what he'd been thinking but he'd been unwilling to say it. Was it true, though?

"What?" Sam said, knowing immediately what was going through his big brother's head too. "No. Say it."

Elena felt a lump rise in her throat when she realized that tears were welling in the brothers' eyes.

"It means you're a monster." Dean said, his voice breaking on the last word.

Sam nodded, turning away in time to miss a tear falling from Dean's eye. Elena moved to stand between them, afraid of it getting violent. She was right because as soon as she moved, Sam launched out and slammed his fist into Dean's face.

"No!" she shouted, watching as Dean slammed to the ground.

The older brother got up slowly, turning to face Sam with barely contained fury. His arm reared back and then snapped forward, his fist slamming into Sam's mouth.

"Stop it!" she cried.

Dean ran forward and slammed Sam into a half wall, breaking through it easily as they collapsed onto the floor. Sam shoved Dean off and they continued trading blows as they backed into the bathroom. Elena tried to figure out what to do as she heard glass shattering. Who did she stop? Who did she defend? Her body was screaming at her to defend them both but was the even possible? As they slammed back out of the bathroom, Sam flipped Dean onto a glass table and it collapsed under his weight, glass shattering all over the place. Sam suddenly jumped on him, choking him.

"Sam, stop!" she screamed, running forward and struggling with him to yank him off of Dean.

It was as though he'd gained strength simply by fighting Dean and Elena knew that it was the demon blood working on him. Finally she ripped him off of Dean and pushed him backwards, standing between them.

"Sam, look at me." she urged, holding her hands out to him.

He didn't look at her, instead staring past her at Dean.

"You don't know me. You never did. And you never will." He growled, turning to walk out the door.

Elena watched with tears welling up in her eyes.

"You walk out that door, don't you ever come back." Dean said hoarsely, looking up at Sam as he walked away.

Sam stopped and turned to look back at Dean. When his eyes met Elena's, he looked regretful for a moment before turning back to walk out.

* * *

Elena walked back into the room, avoiding stepping on glass and wood as she approached the bed. She held out the glass of water to Dean and stroked his hair as he drank it slowly. She'd already healed him of his small cuts and bruises. When he finished drinking it, she set it over on the bedside table and pulled off her hat, throwing it on the ground as she ran her fingers through her straight hair. Dean looked over at her with a devastated face.

"I don't want to think about it." he admitted.

"I know. I know it's painful." She whispered, stroking his cheek softly.

He looked up at her slowly.

"You… are… the most important person to me right now." He said.

She smiled sadly.

"That's not true. He could commit genocide and you'd still love your brother more than anyone or anything else." Elena said, not fooled by his words.

"Right now… he's not my brother. He's not Sammy. And there is no one, not a single person, that I'd rather be with." Dean said, looking at her with emotion filled eyes.

She looked at him as she continued to stroke his cheek.

"We'll fix this." she promised him, repeating his words at the warehouse after Castiel abandoned them.

He nodded slowly before leaning forward to kiss her. They laid back on the bed and curled their bodies around each other as their lips melded together. Dean's hand drifted down her torso and pushed her sweater up, laying on her bare skin before wrapping around her back and pulling her closer to him. Elena sighed into his mouth as her body melted into his. She pushed him away and yanked his shirt off, then pulling his t-shirt over his head. He returned the favor, throwing her sweater across the room. Then, hovering over her with his hand splayed on her stomach, he looked up at her with questioning eyes as his fingers drifted down to the button of her pants. Elena stopped him.

"I don't want this to be something that we do because you're sad, Dean." She sighed.

"It's not… I…" he said, trailing off.

She stared at him with wide eyes as she understood. Because she felt it too. But both of them were too afraid to say it. They'd lost too much, they'd lost almost everyone that they loved. They couldn't say it. But both of them knew it. Elena moved her hand away from his and leaned forward to press her lips to his.

"Okay." She murmured against his lips.

"Okay?" he asked, sounding surprised.

She drew away and looked deep in his eyes.

"Yes." Elena said, putting her hand on his cheek.

Dean slowly undid the pants button and pushed her back on the bed, his eyes telling her everything that she needed to know.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! **

**Next: In the last hours before Lilith breaks the final seal, Sam works with Ruby as Dean and Elena try to find a way to get to them in time.**


	28. There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or Supernatural**

**Thanks so much to beverlie4055, RHatch89, Nyssandria, KwC1994, Dean Winchester Rocks, xxPaige23xx, Dark Alana, JMHUW, TheElegantFaerie, and TragicBlossoms for reviewing.**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas**

**A few things:**

**1. To those asking, no I'm not going to post these stories on a different site. I don't want to and I don't think that I need to. I have other stories with explicit scenes on this website and I have had them on here for over a year. Nothing has happened so far so I think it's okay. That being said, I'm not going to write sex scenes just to write sex scenes. If I think that they belong and that they fit that part of the story well, I'll write them. This is meant to be a supernatural/action/adventure story first. The relationship between Elena and Dean is a big part of it but it's not the only part of it. I don't think that a relationship needs to have sex scenes to be a good relationship but that doesn't mean that I won't write them.**

**2. Read the bottom for details on the next part of the story.**

**3. The first scene between Dean and Elena is a smut scene. Skip it if you like.**

**4. ****Elena's outfit is on my profile.**

**5. IMPORTANT: I would pay very close attention to Elena's jewelry.**

**6. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

**St. Mary's Convent – Ilchester, Maryland – 1972**

"_Our Father, who art in... heaven. Thy kingdom come, blah, blah, blah. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from... evil." A priest smirked as he knelt at the altar._

_He looked up at the cross and his eyes flashed yellow for a moment before he turned to walk down the aisle to speak to the nuns who were sitting in the pews._

"_Truer words never spoken, sisters. But sometimes it seems as if it's difficult to know the Creator. Sometimes I feel, in a very literal sense, that I have been wandering the desert for years. Looking for our Father." He said, reaching out and bolting the door as he reached it and then turning back to them.. _

"_Well, not our Father, my Father. See, he's in jail. Your dad put him there." he chuckled_

_The nuns looked around at each other nervously as they sensed something was wrong._

"_I almost gave up hope. But, ye of little faith, because I finally found him… or at least, you know, a spot where his cage door opens. It's right here. In a damn convent, for God's sake. Life is funny." He chuckled, grinning around at them as if expecting them to understand the irony._

"_Um, Father?" one of the older nuns said, daring to speak out._

"_Shut your friggin' piehole, you little slut!" he growled, glaring at her before grinning once more._

"_Then again, I suppose it makes sense. Folks forget my Daddy is an angel, after all. Or was. I mean, I suppose some dumb bastard stood here, felt a jolt of his holy juice and thought, I'm gonna build me a nun factory. You know? It's the right idea. Wrong angel." He shrugged as he blinked and his eyes turned fully yellow._

_He drew a large knife as he looked around at them._

"_So, uh, if any of you guys are the praying type, now would be a good time to start." Azazel said, smirking._

_Screams filled the air._

* * *

Elena sighed as Dean stretched her arms above her head. He kissed down her bare torso, worshipping every inch of skin that he could find as he pulled her pants off and let them drop to the ground. Her legs fell apart and he settled between them, grinding against her heated core. Their lips crashed together as her hands slid into his hair and her legs hooked around his waist. Elena yanked his shirt over his head and flipped them over. She took her time, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his skin as her trembling fingers undid his jeans and yanked them down his legs. She straddled his waist and Dean sat up, sliding his hand into her hair as he stared at her.

"You are… so beautiful." he whispered, sounding awed as he looked at her flushed face and lust-filled eyes.

Elena leaned in, pressing their lips together gently. Dean pushed her off of his lap, sliding the last piece of clothing off of her before doing the same for himself. She lay back on the bed as he hovered over her, stroking the inside of her thigh with the tips of his fingers.

"Dean?" Elena said, concerned at the faraway look in his eyes.

She sat up, putting her hand on his cheek.

"Dean?"

He looked at her, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath.

"Where'd you go?" Elena asked, stroking his cheek.

"Nowhere." He said, shaking his head and lifting his hand to lie over hers. "I'm here with you."

Elena kissed him slowly, pushing him back on the bed. Dean's hands went to her hips and held them firmly but not too tightly as she put her hands on his chest and stared down at him. She tucked her hair behind her ear before sliding down onto him. Dean groaned and she sighed as he filled her slowly. Her head tossed back and she whimpered as her body thrummed with need. He pushed himself up again, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss as they rocked together. Heat surrounded them as they desperately moved against each other.

Elena's fingers dug into his back as Dean kissed and nibbled at her throat. He treated her gently, almost as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever held. But Elena knew that he wasn't holding back at the same time. Dean thrusted up into her and she cried out when he hit the sensitive spot within her. When he flipped them over, her legs wrapped around his hips loosely and Elena stroked his hair as Dean moved in and out of her. Gasps and moans of each other's names filled the air as they chased their finish. When Elena's stomach coiled and sparks of heat filled her body, she threw her head back and screamed his name.

Dean moaned loudly as her walls clenched down on him and her body writhed beneath him. Elena was sobbing with pleasure, his name mixed in with her cries of satisfaction. Dean's orgasm hit him moments later and he didn't have time to think before he was spilling inside of her. Elena laid back on the bed, breathing heavily as she stroked his back and Dean continued moving in and out of her until they were both too sensitive for more. When he pulled out, he wrapped his arms around Elena and turned over, laying her across his chest as they caught their breath.

"I'm sorry." Dean whispered several moments later, sounding guilty.

Elena sat up on her elbow, staring down at him with confusion.

"For what?" she asked warily.

"For… you know… not pulling out. I guess we should have used protection." He said, flushing.

Elena paused before letting out a laugh.

"Dean, I'm on birth control. I have been since I was sixteen." She said, grinning down at him.

Dean's eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

"The stops at the pharmacy." He nodded.

She leaned down, kissing him deeply for several moments before pulling away.

"Thank you for being concerned, though." Elena said, stroking his cheek.

They stared at each other for several minutes before they spoke again.

"That was amazing." She marveled, tracing patterns on his chest.

Dean smiled, stroking her hair softly.

"It was." he agreed.

The longer they laid there, the more reality started coming back to them. Slowly, they both regained the guarded looks and they knew that they could not stay there forever, no matter how much they wanted to.

* * *

"Sam? Your head in the game here?" Ruby asked as she walked out of the abandoned country home.

Sam paused, staring out at the endless fields.

"I'm good. Let's go." he decided.

"You okay?" She asked, looking up at him with concern.

"I just said I was." Sam shrugged.

"Look, I know hand-holding really isn't my thing... but still, Dean was wrong, saying what he said to you." Ruby said.

"No, he was right to say it. I mean, I don't blame him after what I did." Sam said, shaking his head as he looked down at his shoes.

"Well, after we're done, you guys will patch things up. I mean, you always do." Ruby said, attempting to cheer up the solemn hunter.

Sam scoffed, shaking his head.

"You're talking like I've got an 'after'." He said, turning to look at her.

"Don't say that." she said, sounding offended.

"I can feel it inside me, Ruby. I've changed... for good. And there's no going back now." He informed her.

"Sam…"

"Look, I know what I gotta do." He interrupted her. "It's okay, I'm just saying, Dean's better off as far away from me as possible. Anyways. Doesn't matter, let's just get this done with." He said, turning to get into the car.

* * *

Elena bit her lip as they stood in the kitchen. Dean was staring out the window and she was leaning against the counter as Bobby ranted loudly. Luckily, before he pounced on them, Bobby had given them a chance to get cleaned up and change clothes. But when they came downstairs, he was waiting, ready to hear what happened. They just told the older hunter everything that went down with Sam and it was safe to say that he wasn't pleased.

"Dean? Dean! You listen to a word I said?" Bobby demanded.

"Yeah, I heard you. I'm not calling him." Dean replied.

"Don't make me get my gun, boy." Bobby threatened, making Elena hide the chuckle that threatened to escape her at the obviously empty threat.

Dean turned to face him, an exasperated expression on his face.

"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?" he snapped.

"I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your…" Bobby cut himself off.

Elena watched Dean carefully.

"Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?" Dean demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"He's your brother. And he's drowning." Bobby reminded him.

"Bobby, I tried to help him, I did. Look what happened." Dean argued, gesturing wildly.

"So try again." He urged.

"It's too late." Dean shook his head, turning to face the window once again.

Bobby looked over at Elena for help but she dropped her eyes to her feet. She wanted to help Sam and she would help him but Bobby was going about it the wrong way. Demanding that Dean do anything was never going to work. He had a bit of an authority problem.

"There's no such thing." Bobby argued.

"No, dammit!" Dean shouted, whirling around. "No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again."

Dean shook his head, walking to sit down.

"Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants."

Elena sighed and walked forward, leaning down to wrap her arms loosely around his neck and lay her chin on his shoulder.

"You don't mean that." Bobby argued.

"Yes I do, Bobby. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was." Dean sighed, looking down at his hands.

Elena watched as Bobby walked to the kitchen table and suddenly swept everything off angrily. Dean jumped up as Bobby got in his face and Elena really hoped that another fight wasn't going to happen.

"You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good? Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!" Bobby shouted.

"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back' and he walked out anyway! That was his choice!" Dean yelled back, stomping away from Bobby to look out the window again.

"You sound like a whiny brat. No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward." Bobby snapped.

Dean turned back to him with a clenched jaw. Bobby had taken one step too far in insulting John Winchester. He didn't stand for that no matter what John did while he was alive.

"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?" Dean asked through gritted teeth.

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him." Bobby said.

Elena walked to Dean to take his hand.

"Hey, stop yelling at Bobby. He is trying to help, Dean. He loves you and Sam like sons and he is just trying to help." She whispered.

Dean sighed and looked at her before turning back to talk to Bobby. When confusion dawned on his face, Elena turned as well to see that they were no longer standing in Bobby's messy kitchen. They were in an ornately decorated dining room with Renaissance art on the walls and statues spread throughout the room. They walked forward slowly with wide eyes, unaware of the presence behind them.

"Hello, Dean, Elena."

They whirled around to see Castiel there, staring at them.

"It's almost time."

* * *

Sam and Ruby were waiting in the parking garage of the hospital. They didn't have to wait long once a nurse came walking out, wheeling a newborn baby in a mobile crib. She was grinning down at it and her eyes were full black. Sam walked out and lifted his hand, throwing her against the wall. He approached her calmly, Ruby one step behind him.

"So. We need to talk." He said.

* * *

Elena watched, leaning against the wall, as Dean walked around the fancy room with narrowed eyes. Almost as soon as he revealed himself, Castiel had disappeared, leaving them alone. She watched as Dean walked to a painting and looked up at it with an unimpressed look. As soon as he turned around, the table in the middle held a silver bowl packed with ice and beer, a tray of hamburgers, and a platter of brownies. Elena narrowed her eyes at the food as she heard the two angels appear.

"Hello, Elena." Zachariah said, looking back at her with a pleasant smile before turning to Dean. "Dean. You're looking fit."

Dean replaced the beer bottle he'd been inspecting and looked at Zachariah and Castiel.

"Well, how about this? The suite life of Zach and Cas." He said.

Elena smiled slightly as the angels looked at him with blank looks.

"It's a... never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell are we?" Dean questioned, glancing around the room.

"Call it a green room. We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before show time." Zachariah said.

He gestured to the table and looked at Dean.

"Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were eleven, I think." He said.

"I'm not hungry." Dean said.

"No? Elena? Brownies? They're just like those ones your mother used to make." He suggested, turning to her.

She stared at him, her jaw clenched and her eyes glaring at him.

"I'm fine." She said simply.

"Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay? I want to know what the game plan is." Dean interrupted Zachariah from offering them anything else.

"Let us worry about that. We want you... focused, relaxed. Both of you." the angel said simply.

Elena looked over at Castiel, who remained quiet as Zachariah spoke.

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving. So start talking, Chuckles." Dean snapped.

Zachariah sighed and began walking around the room.

"All the seals have fallen. Except one." He informed them.

"That's an impressive score. That's... that's right up there with the Washington Generals." Dean chuckled.

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you? Considering... you started all this?" Zachariah shot back, making Elena glare a hole into the back of his head. "But the final seal... it'll be different."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night… midnight."

"Where?" Dean questioned.

"We're working on it." Zachariah shrugged.

"Well, work harder." Dean shot back, glaring at the angel.

"We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours." He nodded at the hunter.

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly? If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?" Dean asked.

"All in good time." Zachariah said vaguely, nodding at him.

"Isn't now a good time?" Elena asked, pushing herself off the wall to walk forward a few steps.

"Have faith." Zachariah sighed.

"What, in you? Give me one good reason why we should." Dean scoffed.

Suddenly the angel was standing right in front of Dean.

"Because you swore your obedience. So obey." He growled softly.

Elena looked over at Castiel with narrowed eyes as he looked down, even looking guilty.

* * *

They were in a cabin. The only light in the room was a fire flickering in the fireplace and a dim light above their heads. Sam and Ruby leaned over the demon nurse, who was laid out on the table.

"What, no devil's trap?" she smirked as she struggled against the hold that Sam had on her.

"I don't need one." Sam replied simply.

"Look at you… all 'roided up. It's like A-Rod and Madonna over here." She snickered.

"Where's Lilith?" Sam demanded.

"I'm not scared of you." she said simply.

"Yeah, you are, actually. And with good reason." Sam replied, not buying her easygoing attitude.

"Look... what's my upside? Okay, I tell you, you kill me. I don't tell you, you still kill me. I get away somehow, Lilith will definitely kill me. So where's my carrot?" she demanded.

"I think what you should be worrying about is what happens before you die." Sam said, holding out his hand and concentrating.

The demon began to scream in agony, throwing her head back.

* * *

Elena watched as Dean paced. They were alone once more. He looked back at her before going back to pacing. This pattern was repeated for ten minutes and Elena was about to break and talk to him.

"Ah, screw it." he said, pulling out his phone and dialing.

Elena watched with in interested expression as he held it to his ear.

"It's Sam. Leave me a message." She heard the automated message over the phone.

Elena smiled, happy that Dean was reaching out to his brother without too much pushing.

"Hey, it's me. Uh..." he cleared his throat and looked up at Elena for help.

She quickly crossed the room and took his hand, nodding at him.

"Look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed... and I owe you a serious beatdown. But... I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not Dad. We're brothers. You know, we're family. And, uh... no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change. Sammy, I'm sorry." Dean said before hanging up and sighing.

* * *

"Stop! Stop! Please!" the demon screamed.

"You'll tell me where she is?" Sam demanded, lowering his hand.

"Fine. Fine. Just... let me die." She breathed, looking up at him.

Sam stared at her for a moment.

"Deal." He agreed.

"Tomorrow night, midnight. She's gonna be at a convent… St. Mary's, Ilchester, Maryland." She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed.

"A convent?" Sam asked, skeptical.

"Lilith... She's gonna break the final seal." She said, looking up at him.

"And what is the final seal?" he questioned.

"I don't know." She breathed.

Sam lifted his hand and began torturing her again.

"I don't know! I don't know!" she sobbed, writhing on the table. "I don't know! I swear! Please! I'm begging you. Kill me, please!"

"Fine." He said, reaching out his other hand to concentrate but Ruby grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Wait. You can't." she said.

"Why not?" Sam asked as the demon's eyes popped open in surprise.

"Because we've got to take her with us. It's the final run on the Death Star, and you need more juice than I got." Ruby said, glancing over at the demon nurse.

"You promised." She whimpered.

"Sorry, sister. You're a walking, talking can of whup-ass." Ruby shrugged.

"You bitch!" she snapped.

"I know. Just can't trust anyone these days."

"Well, least you won't be able to crack me open that easy." The demon said, smirking as she settled back again.

"That so?" Ruby said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Don't forget… it's not just me you're bleeding. In fact, I think I'm gonna take a little... siesta in the subconscious… hand over the wheel for a little bit." She said, looking thrilled.

"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded.

"Cindy McClellan, R.N., come on down!" she called, closing her eyes and relaxing into the table.

Suddenly her eyes popped open and looked terrified.

"What... where am I?" she groaned, looking around as she tried to move.

They both stared at her with wide eyes.

"Oh, my god, I can't move. What's going on? Help! Help me, please." She said, looking wildly as Sam stared down at her in horror.

"Great." Ruby sighed, annoyed.

* * *

**St. Mary's Convent – 1972**

_Azazel knelt before the altar once more, the slayed bodies of nuns all around him. One of them was thrown across the altar, the blood from her slit throat dripping onto the floor._

"_Father, look... I'm not exactly the praying type, but still... I made the sacrifice. I got you a bagful of nuns. So, uh... can you hear me? Can you whisper through the door?" he said hopefully._

"_I'm here, my son." The dead nun's mouth moved._

"_It's so good to hear your voice, Padre. I have been searching for you for so long. You have no idea. The others have lost faith. Dickless heathens. But not me." he said, grinning at the nun._

"_You've done well."_

"_So, uh... how do I bust you out?" he asked._

"_Lilith." He said._

"_Lilith? Father, she's... trapped neck-deep in the pit. It won't be easy." Azazel said skeptically._

"_Lilith. Lilith can break the seals." He said._

"_Yeah, okay. But what do I do?" Azazel asked._

"_You must find me a child. A very special child." _

"_What do you mean? What child?" he questioned._

* * *

"You got to be kidding me." Sam scoffed as he looked at his laptop.

"What?" Ruby asked, walking up to him.

"Get this. St. Mary's… abandoned in '72 after a priest disemboweled eight nuns." He said.

"What's black and white and red all over?" Ruby smirked.

"That's not funny." Sam said before he continued to read. "The priest said it wasn't his fault. He said a demon made him do it. And that he even remembered the demon's name."

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, walking to pack up their weapons.

"Azazel." Sam said, turning to look at her with a triumphant expression.

"Wow. So, Lilith, Yellow-Eyes… all the A-listers are paying visits. Certainly gives the joint credibility." Ruby nodded, turning to look back at him.

"As a place where the final seal goes down." Sam nodded.

"Well, it's good enough for me. Let's pack up Nurse Betty and hit the road." Ruby said, turning to walk out with the bag on her shoulder.

"Hey, maybe, um... look." Sam hesitated, stopping her in her tracks.

"What?" she asked.

"M-maybe we can find another demon." Sam suggested.

"Sam, no. That blubbery 'don't hurt me' crap… it's just an act. She's playing you." Ruby said.

"I'm not so sure." He sighed.

"Even if she's not, there's still a hell-bitch snoozing in there. I mean, come on. It's not like you haven't done this before, right?" Ruby shrugged before turning to walk out.

Sam tried to ignore Cindy the nurse's pleas as he dragged her down the stairs. It was more difficult that he could have imagined.

"No. Please don't. Just listen to me, okay? My name is Cindy McClellan. I'm a nurse in the NICU over at Enfield Memorial. I have a husband named Matthew, okay? We've been married six years. He's got to be worried sick about me. And I don't even know who you are, and I'm not gonna tell anybody anything. Please just let me go." she pleaded as he walked her to the trunk.

He opened it and she began screaming as he attempted to shove her in.

"No! No! Please, no! Please!" she cried as he put his hands on the top and slammed it closed, leaning on it as he breathed heavily and guilt filled him.

"Help!"

* * *

Elena and Dean were both frustrated and tired of being in the room for hours now. She sat in a chair beside the table watching Dean as he circled the room for the fifteenth time. He finally stopped and looked over at a small ceramic angel statue. His hand reached out and touched the head before he tipped it right off the table, grinning over at Elena when the sound of the crash filled the room. She laughed quietly at his immature action.

"You asked to see me?" Castiel said as he appeared, looking down at the shattered statue.

Dean whirled around and looked down at the shards on the floor with a slightly guilty look before looking back up at the real angel.

"Yeah, listen, I, uh, I… I need something." Dean said, his eyes shifting over to Elena.

She nodded encouragingly. They'd talked about this. It was the right thing to do.

"Anything you wish." Castiel nodded.

"I need you to take me to see Sam." Dean said simply.

"Why?" The angel asked, looking as though he immediately regretted giving Dean anything he wished.

"There's something I got to talk to him about." Dean said simply.

"What's that?" Castiel asked.

"The B.M. I took this morning. What's it to you? Just make it snappy."

"I don't think that's wise." He said, shaking his head as he backed away.

"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion." Dean shot back.

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?" Castiel asked.

Elena stood up at his words, unsure of whether to break into the conversation or let the two talk it out.

"No. That's the whole point. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay? I just need to tie up this one thing. Five minutes… that's all I need." Dean said.

"No." Castiel sighed.

"What do you mean, no? Are you saying that we're trapped here?" Dean demanded.

"You can go wherever you want." Castiel said.

"Super. I want to go see Sam."

"Except there." he said quickly.

"We want to take a walk." Elena said, stepping forward.

"Fine. I'll go with you." Castiel said, looking over at her before looking back at Dean.

"Alone." Dean added.

"No." the angel shook his head.

"You know what? Screw this noise. We're out of here." Dean said as they walked towards the door at the same time, their minds synced in what they were going to do without them having to say it out loud.

"Through what door?" Castiel asked.

They both turned back to him, frowning. His eyes shifted to the door and they looked to see that a smooth wall had replaced it. When they turned back, the angel had disappeared.

"Dammit." they snapped at the same time.

* * *

Sam sat in the passenger seat looking at his phone as Ruby sped down the highway towards the convent.

"What are you… a twelve-year-old girl? Just play it already." Ruby said, referring to the voicemail from Dean.

"Mind your own business." Sam snapped.

"Let me out! Let me out!" they heard the woman's muffled screams as she thumped on the roof.

"God, I wish she would just shut up." He groaned, leaning his head back.

"Well, that can be arranged." Ruby shrugged, looking over to see Sam glaring at her. "I don't get it. All the demons you cut with the knife… what do you think happens to the host? How is this any different?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sam demanded.

"I know that you're having a tough time here, Sam, but we're in the final lap here. Now is not the time to grow a persqueeter." She informed him.

"Would you drop the fucking attitude? I'm about to bleed and drink an innocent woman. While she watches." Sam snapped.

"And save the fucking world as a result." Ruby countered.

"I don't know. I-I just... I'm starting to think... maybe Dean was right." he sighed, leaning back once again.

"About what?" Ruby asked.

"About everything." He replied.

"We're gonna see this through, right, Sam? Sam?" Ruby asked, panicked.

* * *

Elena stood by the harp watching as Dean attempted to slam his way through yet another wall with a heavy bronze pedestal. It hadn't worked the last three times but he wouldn't listen to her when she told him to stop, and that he was wasting his strength. When the wall repaired itself once again, he threw the pedestal to the floor out of annoyance.

"Son of a bitch!" he growled.

Elena looked up with murderous eyes when Zachariah showed up once again.

"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you? It's unbecoming." He said, walking forward with his hands in his pants pockets.

"Let us out of here." Dean demanded, turning around.

"Like I told you, too dangerous out there. Demons on the prowl." He said.

"We've been getting my ass kicked all year. Now you're sweating our safety? You're lying. I want to see my brother." he said.

"That's... ill-advised." Zachariah said simply.

Elena jumped up and, having enough of all angels, but especially the smug one in front of them, she stomped to him.

"I am about tired of you showing up and throwing riddles at us! What the hell do you want? Why can't we see Sam? If you're not going to let us out of here, how the hell are we supposed to kill Lilith?" she demanded, getting in his face as her frustration boiled over.

Zachariah looked past at her at Dean, who shrugged with a smirk.

"You're not… going to kill Lilith." He sighed, backing away from the angry guardian.

"What?" Dean growled, stepping up to stand beside Elena.

"Lilith's going to break the final seal. Fait accompli at this point. Train's left the station." Zachariah shrugged.

"But me and Sam and Elena, we can stop..." Dean trailed off and Elena had the epiphany at the same time as he did.

Zachariah sat down, waiting for them to voice their new realization.

"You don't want to stop it, do you?" Elena said, looking over at him.

"Nope. Never did. The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you." Zachariah said proudly.

"What was all that crap about saving seals?" Dean growled.

"Our grunts on the ground… we couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let sixty-five seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"

"But why?" Elena asked.

"Why not? The apocalypse? Poor name, bad marketing… puts people off. When all it is is Ali versus Foreman. On a... slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins… and we will… it's paradise on earth. Now, what's not to like about that?"

"What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?" Dean demanded.

"Well... you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case... truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. Look... it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered." Zachariah shrugged.

Elena looked over at Dean as he eyed a statue on the mantle piece meaningfully.

"Uh, no, Dean. Probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing. Wouldn't end up too pleasant for you." Zachariah said, reading his intentions as he stood and walked to them once more.

"What about Sam? He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith." Dean assured him.

Zachariah inhaled deeply, nodding.

"Sam... has a part to play. A very important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it." he said.

"What does that mean? What are you gonna do to him?" Elena questioned, eyes narrowed.

"Sam, Sam, Sam. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Forget about him, would you? You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you two? You're still vital. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just... omitted a few pertinent details. But nothing's changed. You are chosen. You will stop it. Just... not Lilith, or the apocalypse. That's all." Zachariah said.

"Which means?" Dean urged him.

Zachariah gestured to a painting on the wall of Michael battling and defeating Lucifer.

"Lucifer. You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surly attitude. And when it's over... and when you've won... your rewards will be... unimaginable. Peace, happiness... two virgins and seventy sluts. Elena… all day and every day." He said, making her glare at him with a disgusted look.

He chuckled, brushing her look off.

"Trust me… one day, we'll look back on this and laugh." he said, turning to walk away.

"Tell me something. Where's God in all this?" Dean asked, facing Zachariah.

"God? God has left the building." The angel scoffed before he disappeared.

* * *

The night guard was patrolling the convent, bored as always. His flashlight shone around the dusty, empty hallways as he did his normal sweep of the place. When he turned around, he was faced with a blonde in a long white dress.

"Howdy." She said, smiling at him.

"Lady, this is private property. You're not supposed to be here." He said, his heart pounding out of his chest at the surprise.

"But I'm here for mass. And so are you." Lilith said as two demons grabbed him and hauled him off.

* * *

Elena sat on the couch with Dean on the floor, his head leaning back into her lap. It had been a full 24 hours that they'd been in the room. They hadn't slept or ate. They were exhausted but they refused to go to sleep. She stroked Dean's hair softly as she struggled to keep her own eyes open. Both of them sat up when a whooshing noise sounded.

"What are you gonna do to Sam?" Dean demanded as soon as he saw Castiel, jumping up to walk to the angel.

"Nothing. He's gonna do it to himself." Castiel said, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked around Dean to be able to look back and forth between them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena asked, standing up slowly.

Castiel looked down, shielding his eyes from them.

"Oh, right, right. Got to toe the company line. Why are you here, Cas?" Dean growled, getting in his face.

"We've been through much together. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this." he said, looking over at Elena before looking back at Dean.

"Sorry?" Dean scoffed.

He reared back and slammed a fist into Castiel's face, whirling around as the angel barely flinched.

"Oh." He whimpered, flexing his hand out of pain.

Elena rolled her eyes and walked forward to stand beside Dean.

"It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than sorry." Dean said, turning back to the angel.

"Try to understand… this is long foretold. This is your..."

"Destiny?" Dean interrupted. "Don't give me that holy crap. Destiny, God's plan... it's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families… that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

"What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam." Castiel said, trying to get him to see his side of things.

"You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise." Dean said, shaking his head.

"This is simple, Cas! No more shit about standing there and being a good soldier." Elena said as Dean walked away. "There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it."

Castiel turned away and Elena wondered if he was ashamed or frustrated.

"Look at me!" she snapped.

Dean turned back around and forced Castiel to do the same.

"You know it! You were gonna help us once, weren't you? You were gonna warn us about all this, before they dragged you back to Bible camp. Help us… now." Dean said.

"Please." Elena begged.

"What would you have me do?" the angel said, looking up at them with tired eyes.

"Get us to Sam. We can stop this before it's too late." Dean said.

"I do that, we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed." Castiel told them roughly.

Elena shook her head and put her hands on the angel's face, turning him to face her.

"Look at me, Cas." She said, throwing away all of the anger and frustration she had at this angel.

None of it mattered now.

"If there is anything worth dying for... this is it." she said, holding his face in her hands.

He looked into her eyes with his wide, imploring, childlike ones.

"Those people… all those millions upon billions of people… they are worth dying for. Those families. Those chidlren. Everyone. They are all worth it." she said, hoping desperately that she was getting through to him.

Castiel's eyes dropped to the floor.

"You spineless..." Dean sighed, turning to walk away as he shook his head. "… soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're done."

Elena looked at Cas with a devastated expression as she slid her hands off of his face and took a step back.

"Dean…" he said, turning to him.

"We're done!" Dean snapped again.

Elena felt a tear slide down her cheek as Castiel looked back at her once before disappearing.

* * *

"Sam, it's time. Are we doing this or not?" Ruby demanded as they stood in front of a sign that read, **St. Mary's Convent – Two Miles**.

"Give me a minute to think." Sam said.

"Sam…" she sighed.

"Give me a damn minute, Ruby!" he yelled.

"Better think fast." She fired back.

Sam looked down and pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing his voicemail before holding it to his ear.

"Listen to me, you bloodsucking freak. Dad always said I'd either have to save you or kill you. Well, I'm giving you fair warning. I'm done trying to save you. You're a monster, Sam… a vampire. You're not you anymore. And there's no going back." Dean's voice snapped over the phone.

Ruby smirked behind him, unbeknownst to him, as he snapped the phone closed, close to tears.

"Do it." he said, steeling himself as he tried to get rid of the tears.

"Thank god." Ruby groaned, walking around to the trunk to open it.

"No!" Cindy screamed, making Sam wince once before he followed Ruby to the back of the car.

* * *

They were leaning against the wall, side by side, with their hands laced together. Neither of them looked at each other or even said a word. Suddenly Castiel appeared in front of them and put his hands over their faces to keep them from saying anything. Elena stared at him with wide eyes as he glanced between them with a question in his eyes. They glanced at one another before nodding slowly. Castiel withdrew his hand and pulled the demon-killing knife out of his belt. Elena and Dean watched with wide eyes as he sliced his arm open and pushed them out of the way as he began drawing on the wall to form an angel-banishing sigil with his blood. Elena smiled at him. She should have known that he would eventually come back to them just as he was before. She looked up with panic as Zachariah appeared with a furious expression.

"Castiel! Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?" the angel demanded as he stomped forward.

Castiel looked back at him before he finished drawing and slammed his hand into the center of the sigil. Elena and Dean shielded their eyes as a violent flash of light filled the room. They looked up moments later to see that Zachariah had disappeared.

"He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now." Castiel said, pulling his sleeve down.

"Where is he?" Elena asked.

"I don't know. But I know who does. We have to stop him from killing Lilith." He said, turning to face the two.

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal." Dean said, confused.

"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins." Castiel said, reaching out to place a hand on Dean's forehead and to take Elena's hand.

* * *

"Lady, sometimes you got to live like there's no tomorrow." They heard the prophet say as they appeared in his living room.

Chuck whirled around in shock, his eyes wide.

"Wait. This isn't supposed to happen." He stammered.

"Sir?" they heard a voice on the other end of the phone.

"No, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back." he said before hanging up the phone as Elena grimaced disgustedly.

It was strange to think of a prophet of the Lord ordering prostitutes over the phone.

* * *

A demon walked up to Lilith slowly, carrying a bowl of blood from the guard. He was trembling slightly.

"Don't be afraid. We're going to save the world." She said with a grin.

She turned her back as he walked away. A deep rumbling noise sounded as she set the bowl down and she turned to see all of her demonic minions lining the hallway on the ground dead. Sam rounded the corner, his eyes narrowed as he stalked forward with Ruby right behind him. Lilith smirked and raised a hand, causing the door between them to slam shut.

* * *

"St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?" Dean asked as he flipped through Chuck's manuscript.

"Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story." He said, looking between all of them.

"Yeah, well..." Cas glanced over at Dean and Elena. "We're making it up as we go."

Suddenly the ground rumbled as a great white light poured through the windows and a loud roaring filled the room.

"Aw, man! Not again! No!" Chuck complained.

"It's the Archangel!" Castiel shouted to them. "I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off!"

He reached out to transport them away.

"No!" Elena screamed back, jerking away from him. "Send Dean! I'm going to stay here with you!"

After he just rebelled for them, she had to protect Castiel. She just had to. He was their angel.

"No you can't! You have to go! Just stop Sam!" he shouted back.

"I can help you!" Elena argued, shaking her head.

"Elena you can't!" Dean yelled.

"You can't tell me that! I will do what I'm going to do and I'm staying with Cas!" she shouted, turning to look at Dean.

Cas' hand slipped into hers before she could help it.

"Go!" he yelled as she looked back at him with horror.

"No!" she screamed as he transported them away.

* * *

They appeared in an empty hallway and they knew that they were in the convent. Elena leaned against the wall with a devastated expression.

"He's gone. The archangel…" she mumbled.

"Come on, Elena. We'll find Cas later. He's still alive, he has to be. But right now we have to help Sam." Dean said, sliding his hand into hers.

She looked up at him and steeled her expression, looking at knife that Castiel pushed into her hand before he sent them there.

"Okay." She nodded, putting it in her belt.

Sam entered the sanctuary easily, flinging out a hand and throwing Lilith into the altar, pinning her to it. Ruby turned to see Elena and Dean run around the corner. She smirked at them and held her hand out, slamming the doors closed to block them as Sam raised his hand to Lilith.

"I've been waiting for this... for a very long time." he breathed, sounding exhilarated.

"Then give me your best shot." Lilith said with a grin.

Sam concentrated and threw his power at her. She cried out in pain as light emanated from her body.

* * *

"Sam!" Dean shouted, slamming on the other side of the door.

"Sam!" Elena cried at the same time as she attempted to use her added strength to slam it open.

Nothing was working, Ruby had a more powerful hold on the door than they'd imagined.

"What are you waiting for? Now! Sam, now!" they heard Ruby scream.

* * *

Lilith laughed at Sam as he faced the door, hearing Dean and Elena cry out to him. He turned to face her with narrowed eyes.

"You turned yourself into a freak. A monster. And now you're not gonna bite? I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable." She taunted, laughing at him.

He glared at her and raised his hand again. His eyes turned fully black as he concentrated on his power in full force. Lilith screamed and convulsed as the power hit her in wave after wave, her body glowing and flickering. At last, she went limp and Sam's eyes went back to normal as she hit the ground, her eyes wide and empty.

* * *

Elena watched as Dean grabbed a pedestal and began slamming it into the door to break through it. She continued on her own assault on the thick wooden doors.

* * *

"What the hell?" Sam said as blood began trickling out of Lilith's body to the floor.

"I can't believe it." Ruby said breathlessly as they watched the blood begin to form a circle.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Sam demanded, looking over at her.

"You did it. I mean, it was a little touch-and-go there for a while, but... you did it." she looked up at him with a grin.

"What? What… what did I do?" he asked, panicking.

"You opened the door. And now he's free at last. He's free at last!" she said like a battle cry.

"No, no, no. No, he… Lilith… I stopped her. I killed her!" Sam said desperately, in denial.

"And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal. And you bust her open." Ruby said fervently, looking thrilled.

Sam put his hands to his head as he backed away from the circle of Lilith's blood.

"Now guess who's coming to dinner."

"Oh, my god." He whispered.

"Guess again." Ruby chuckled.

* * *

Elena finally grew frustrated and yanked Dean away from the door before closing her eyes and summoning up as much strength as she could.

* * *

"You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alastair knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit… I'm… I'm awesome!" she shouted gleefully.

"You bitch. You lying bitch!" He growled, thrusting his hands at her.

Instead, he collapsed to his knees, clutching at his head.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sammy. It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss." She breathed, kneeling in front of him.

"The blood... you poisoned me." he snapped.

"No. It wasn't the blood. It was you... and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo! I know it's hard to see it now... but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it." she said, stroking his cheek.

"Why? W-why me?" he stammered, devastated.

"Because... because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you. You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine." She said, smiling at him.

* * *

Elena's eyes flashed open and Dean stared at her with shock as he saw a flash of electric blue in them. The doors flew open suddenly and he turned to look at them with surprise as Elena proceeded to walk through them. Ruby looked up and turned as she walked up to her.

"You're too late." The demon said, stumbled backwards to press herself against the wall.

"I don't care." She growled, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her on the floor before she ripped the knife out of her belt and lifted it high.

Ruby gasped with shock as she brought it down into her heart.

"Go to hell, bitch." She snapped, watching with hardened eyes as the demon's body flashed with light.

She ripped the knife out of her heart and stood, watching as her head fell to the side and the light faded from her eyes. When she looked up, Sam and Dean were standing there watching her. Dean turned to Sam as she walked up to them.

"I'm sorry." He said brokenly, looking between them.

Before they could say anything. Suddenly a brilliant white light shot out of the ground. Elena's hands slid down to clutch at both brothers' hands.

"Sammy, let's go." Dean said, pulling them in direction of the door.

"Dean... he's coming." Sam said, stopping short to stare into the light.

They all stared at it for a moment.

"Come on!" Dean shouted, finally succeeding in yanking them away from the light.

They ran towards the doors but they slammed shut just as they reached them. Dean stared at Elena for help, expecting her to the do the same thing she did before. She looked back helplessly before she shut her eyes to concentrate. There was too much going on. A high-pitched noise filled the air as more and more light filled the room. They all fell to their knees, covering their ears. Dean and Sam instantly threw themselves over her even though she was supposed to be their guardian. Elena screamed as pain pounded in her head and the light enveloped them.

* * *

It was over all of the sudden. Elena no longer felt Dean and Sam huddling over her. She looked up to see that she was in a stylishly decorated living room. A man was standing with his back to her. She whirled around a few times, dismayed to see that the brothers were nowhere to be found.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded as she stared at the man's back.

He turned with a wry grin, looking very confident in himself.

"You must be Elena. I've heard you're a… firecracker." He said, sounding amused.

"I said, who the hell are you?" she growled, stepping forward to glare at him.

"Gabriel, at your service." He said, bowing low before standing up and popping a small red lollipop into his mouth.

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**Next Part:**

**1. The story will be called, "Wheel In the Sky". **

**2. Summary: Sequel to "Hell's Bells", with Lucifer risen from the cage and both angels and demons involved in the apocalypse, Elena is put in a difficult situation when they discover that Dean and Sam play an important part in the final battle as she grows closer to both brothers and their rebellious angel, Castiel. Rated M for language, sexual content, and violence.**

**3. Keep an eye out for it. It should be up within a day.**


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